Pieve di Santa Maria di Manerba del Garda

It would be much nicer if someone took care of its internal restoration ...

Beautiful Pieve, one of the oldest in northern Italy. The frescoes preserve traces of early medieval paintings.

The oldest church in Valtenesi, also called della Pieve as it is the seat of the baptismal font which all the other churches in the area belonged to. The frescoes on the walls are very beautiful although they should be better exploited.

Beautiful example of ancient construction, and an example of Romanesque architecture, certainly dating back to the late Middle Ages, they say it was built on the ruins of an ancient temple at the beginning, if not before the advent of Christianity, undoubtedly subjected to various Restorations and adaptations over the centuries it is still frequented by the faithful on the occasion of Marian feasts and Obviously it gave its name to the hamlet that rose not far from the banks of the lake in an area that was originally marshy. Perhaps the devout and very religious populations built it in honor of the Virgin Mary, precisely to ask for protection from diseases originating from the Marshes. A particular note deserves the great bluebells, which nowadays appears very inclined, almost like the famous leaning tower!

The Pieve di Santa Maria was founded in the early Christian era on an ancient pagan temple and building of the 5th-6th century and probably on the remains of a Roman villa. This church, probably rebuilt in the 11th century, has three naves that end with originally semi-circular apses and are separated by pillars. The paintings that can be admired inside date back to the 14th-16th century. The late fourteenth century is testified by the refined frescoes of the south apse, characterized by the application of metal foils for the haloes and the finishes of the garments of the characters represented. The bell tower was erected in the 16th century, while the current portal dates from the end of the 17th century. It is a few hundred meters from the splendid La Romantica beach and deserves greater appreciation

It's been some time. Pieve di Santa Maria is a very old church, the frescoes are only preserved in small parts, some have faded. A restoration would take years and devour huge sums of money. It is questionable whether that will be dared. A baptistery was built here in the 5th century. Over the centuries, it has been enlarged and expanded again and again. There are detailed information boards. I like old buildings.

At the time of my visit it was closed. It seems to be open in the summer season for tourists and on the feast day of San Rocco (16 August) because, having finished its function as a parish church in the 18th century, it was dedicated to this saint. However it is known to all as the Pieve di S. Maria di Tenesi and is located in the "Pieve vecchia" area. There is a large car park behind the building, near a lawn with games for children. Here once stood a rich Roman villa (I-V century AD) facing the lake, which was replaced by the early Christian parish church with a baptismal function. It became the head of the parish church ("Mother Church" of all the others in Valtenesi) for the whole surrounding area. Two early medieval phases followed, traces of which can still be found in the building today. At that time, however, it had a single nave while from the 13th century it was given a basilica plan with three naves. What we see today is the result of transformations and aggregations of several buildings made between 1200 and 1700. The very high bell tower that rises detached and in front of the facade is characteristic. The date of construction is uncertain (1500?). It has two parts that are not contemporary to each other: the belfry is certainly more recent. The area is surrounded by grassland and is definitely a place to visit. The review will be updated when the church opens, hopefully in the spring-summer!