https://montezaga.com/Myths, symbols and sacred placesen https://montezaga.com/articles/san-secondo-at-magnano-a-romanesque-church-in-a-clearing/https://montezaga.com/articles/san-secondo-at-magnano-a-romanesque-church-in-a-clearing/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000Places of MythSymbolsA rural Romanesque church of the eleventh century, alone in a clearing near Bose: its history, its pebble walls, its apses and bell tower, and the symbolism of light and orientation. With a short video. https://montezaga.com/articles/modena-cathedral-history-architecture-and-the-symbolism-of-its-sculptures/https://montezaga.com/articles/modena-cathedral-history-architecture-and-the-symbolism-of-its-sculptures/Sun, 25 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000Places of MythSymbolsLanfranco’s architecture, Wiligelmo’s Genesis reliefs, the first King Arthur in stone and the monstrous peoples of the metopes: a guide to the history and the symbols of Modena Cathedral. https://montezaga.com/articles/king-arthur-in-the-church-the-meaning-of-the-arthurian-legend-in-sacred-art/https://montezaga.com/articles/king-arthur-in-the-church-the-meaning-of-the-arthurian-legend-in-sacred-art/Sun, 25 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000FiguresSymbolsAbove a cathedral door in Modena, on the mosaic floor of Otranto, under the choir seats of English cathedrals and beside an emperor’s tomb: why the medieval Church gave space to King Arthur, and what he meant to the faithful. https://montezaga.com/articles/santa-maria-della-rocca-in-offida-history-architecture-painting-and-the/https://montezaga.com/articles/santa-maria-della-rocca-in-offida-history-architecture-painting-and-the/Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000Places of MythIntroduction: a monument between documented history and the memory of mystery On the western edge of the medieval town of Offida, where the rocky spur breaks off abruptly into the deep natural ravines surrounding the… https://montezaga.com/articles/the-basilica-of-santa-maria-a-pie-di-chienti-architecture-liturgy-and/https://montezaga.com/articles/the-basilica-of-santa-maria-a-pie-di-chienti-architecture-liturgy-and/Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000Places of MythIntroduction The Basilica of Santa Maria a Piè di Chienti is one of the most complex cases of Romanesque architecture on the Italian Adriatic. Its importance derives not only from the quality of its construction or its… https://montezaga.com/articles/the-church-of-san-lorenzo-at-montiglio-monferrato-the-symbolic-language-of/https://montezaga.com/articles/the-church-of-san-lorenzo-at-montiglio-monferrato-the-symbolic-language-of/Sat, 09 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000Places of MythSymbolsDiscover the church of San Lorenzo at Montiglio Monferrato and the symbolic meaning of its Romanesque capitals: interlace, sirens, eagles, grapes and plant motifs. https://montezaga.com/articles/the-capitals-of-san-lorenzo-at-montiglio-monferrato-figurative-repertoire/https://montezaga.com/articles/the-capitals-of-san-lorenzo-at-montiglio-monferrato-figurative-repertoire/Sat, 09 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000SymbolsDiscover the church of San Lorenzo at Montiglio Monferrato and the symbolic meaning of its Romanesque capitals. A journey through Romanesque art, medieval iconography, Lombard interlace, animal figures and Christian symbols in one of the most fascinating sacred buildings in Monferrato. https://montezaga.com/articles/the-exegesis-of-stone-the-symbolism-of-romanesque-capitals/https://montezaga.com/articles/the-exegesis-of-stone-the-symbolism-of-romanesque-capitals/Sat, 09 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000SymbolsIn the architectural universe of the Middle Ages, the capital is not only the mechanical link between the vertical support and the arch; it is an ontological frontier . It is the place where the inert matter of the… https://montezaga.com/articles/castelseprio-two-thousand-years-of-history-in-the-heart-of-the-varese-area/https://montezaga.com/articles/castelseprio-two-thousand-years-of-history-in-the-heart-of-the-varese-area/Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000Places of MythA late Roman castrum, Lombard frescoes unique in the world and an ancient forest: Castelseprio, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011, tells two thousand years of history in the Varese area. https://montezaga.com/articles/the-sunday-christ-iconographic-analysis-and-regional-variants/https://montezaga.com/articles/the-sunday-christ-iconographic-analysis-and-regional-variants/Sun, 23 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000SymbolsThe Sunday Christ is an iconography of great historical, artistic and religious value, conveying a well-defined moral message within popular Christian traditions. Its regional variants confirm how local culture influenced the interpretation of the image, while church judgement limited the spread of such a powerful and controversial depiction. https://montezaga.com/articles/the-church-of-santa-maria-assunta-at-armeno-notes-on-the-iconography-of/https://montezaga.com/articles/the-church-of-santa-maria-assunta-at-armeno-notes-on-the-iconography-of/Sun, 07 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000SymbolsThe church of Santa Maria Assunta at Armeno is a gem of Lombard Romanesque, refined in plan yet sober in appearance, built in the 11th–12th centuries with aisles divided by monolithic columns with carved capitals, the… https://montezaga.com/articles/the-church-of-san-marcello-at-paruzzaro-and-the-last-judgement/https://montezaga.com/articles/the-church-of-san-marcello-at-paruzzaro-and-the-last-judgement/Sat, 06 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000Places of Myth1. Geographical setting and historical context The church of San Marcello stands just outside the village of Paruzzaro, in the province of Novara, along the road linking Arona and Lake Maggiore, which in the Middle Ages… https://montezaga.com/articles/the-oratory-of-the-santissima-trinita-at-momo-architecture-iconography-and/https://montezaga.com/articles/the-oratory-of-the-santissima-trinita-at-momo-architecture-iconography-and/Mon, 01 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000Places of MythIntroduction The Oratory of the Santissima Trinità (Holy Trinity), just outside the centre of Momo, is one of the most important examples of rural religious architecture in the Novara area. Set along the Via Francisca,… https://montezaga.com/articles/fenis-castle-aosta/https://montezaga.com/articles/fenis-castle-aosta/Sat, 23 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000Places of MythSymbolsyoutube.com/watch Fénis Castle: between history, symbols and Templar legends Fénis Castle, in the heart of the Aosta Valley, is one of the most famous and most visited medieval monuments in the region. Built and… https://montezaga.com/articles/church-of-santirene-and-the-capuchin-convent-in-catignano-pe-historical/https://montezaga.com/articles/church-of-santirene-and-the-capuchin-convent-in-catignano-pe-historical/Fri, 15 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000Places of Mythyoutube.com/watch Historical background The complex stands in the Cappuccini district, just outside the centre of Catignano, on a site recorded in the charters of the Benedictine abbey of San Bartolomeo at Carpineto… https://montezaga.com/articles/alchemy-in-parma-between-science-spirituality-and-tradition-hermetic-paths/https://montezaga.com/articles/alchemy-in-parma-between-science-spirituality-and-tradition-hermetic-paths/Sun, 18 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000Places of MythAbstract This article explores the presence of alchemy in the city of Parma from the Middle Ages to the early modern age, with particular attention to the monastic context, the Farnese court and the Ancient Apothecary… https://montezaga.com/articles/matter-and-sound-the-influence-of-building-materials-on-the-acoustics-of/https://montezaga.com/articles/matter-and-sound-the-influence-of-building-materials-on-the-acoustics-of/Sun, 18 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000SymbolsAbstract Cistercian architecture is distinguished by formal sobriety, rigorous geometry and minimal ornament, in line with the spiritual ideal of the Order. This formal purity has not only symbolic and theological value… https://montezaga.com/articles/esoteric-symbolism-and-sacred-geometry-in-the-church-of-san-francesco-del/https://montezaga.com/articles/esoteric-symbolism-and-sacred-geometry-in-the-church-of-san-francesco-del/Sat, 17 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000SymbolsIntroduction The church of San Francesco del Prato, in the historic heart of Parma, is one of the most significant examples of mendicant Gothic architecture in northern Italy. Built during the 13th century, the church… https://montezaga.com/articles/the-order-of-the-humiliati-intersections-of-spirituality-economy-and/https://montezaga.com/articles/the-order-of-the-humiliati-intersections-of-spirituality-economy-and/Sun, 11 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000FiguresIntroduction In the religious landscape of medieval northern Italy, the Order of the Humiliati emerged as a phenomenon of extraordinary complexity and historical significance, a distinctive synthesis of spiritual… https://montezaga.com/articles/on-the-trail-of-the-humiliati-the-abbey-of-viboldone-and-its-community/https://montezaga.com/articles/on-the-trail-of-the-humiliati-the-abbey-of-viboldone-and-its-community/Sat, 10 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000Places of MythThe Abbey of Viboldone stands as a stone testimony to the turbulent communal era of 12th-century Lombardy, when Milan, victorious in its struggle with Frederick Barbarossa that culminated in the Peace of Constance of… https://montezaga.com/articles/the-abbey-of-novalesa-a-thousand-year-old-spiritual-and-cultural-centre-in/https://montezaga.com/articles/the-abbey-of-novalesa-a-thousand-year-old-spiritual-and-cultural-centre-in/Sat, 03 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000Places of MythThe Abbey of Saints Peter and Andrew at Novalesa, strategically placed at the entrance to the Val Cenischia, is one of the most significant monuments of medieval monastic architecture in Piedmont and an extraordinary… https://montezaga.com/articles/from-brigid-to-mary-evolution-and-syncretism-of-a-female-cult-in-medieval/https://montezaga.com/articles/from-brigid-to-mary-evolution-and-syncretism-of-a-female-cult-in-medieval/Wed, 30 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000Faces of the GoddessIntroduction The transition from pagan to Christian Ireland is an emblematic case of how religious syncretism takes place. In this landscape of cultural and spiritual transformation, the figure of Brigid occupies a… https://montezaga.com/articles/gobekli-tepe-new-perspectives-on-the-origins-of-monumental-civilization/https://montezaga.com/articles/gobekli-tepe-new-perspectives-on-the-origins-of-monumental-civilization/Fri, 25 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000Places of Myth1. Introduction Göbekli Tepe, in the region of the Anatolian plateau, about 18 km north-east of the modern city of Şanlıurfa, is one of the most extraordinary sites for the study of late prehistory (Schmidt, 2006;… https://montezaga.com/articles/the-pieve-of-san-martino-evidence-of-historical-and-cultural-stratification/https://montezaga.com/articles/the-pieve-of-san-martino-evidence-of-historical-and-cultural-stratification/Mon, 21 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000Places of MythThe Pieve of San Martino at Palazzo Pignano, in the Cremona area, is an emblematic case of topographical and functional continuity between the Roman age and the Christian Middle Ages. Built in the Romanesque period on… https://montezaga.com/articles/villa-marazzi-at-palazzo-pignano-architecture-iconography-and/https://montezaga.com/articles/villa-marazzi-at-palazzo-pignano-architecture-iconography-and/Mon, 21 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000Places of MythAbstract Villa Marazzi, at Palazzo Pignano (CR), is an emblematic example of a Lombard noble residence, bearing witness to architectural and decorative developments from the 15th to the 19th century. Originally built as… https://montezaga.com/articles/the-different-depictions-of-the-madonna-in-art/https://montezaga.com/articles/the-different-depictions-of-the-madonna-in-art/Sun, 20 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000Faces of the GoddessMarian iconography has played a central role in the history of Western art. Every era, style and artistic movement has given its own interpretation of the figure of the Virgin Mary, symbol of purity, motherhood and… https://montezaga.com/articles/depictions-of-the-madonna-and-child-iconographic-evolution-theological/https://montezaga.com/articles/depictions-of-the-madonna-and-child-iconographic-evolution-theological/Sun, 20 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000Faces of the GoddessIntroduction For centuries the depiction of the Madonna and Child has been a focal point not only of Christian devotion but also of aesthetic and theological reflection in European art. More than any other subject, it… https://montezaga.com/articles/the-abbey-of-morimondo-an-example-of-cistercian-spirituality-architecture/https://montezaga.com/articles/the-abbey-of-morimondo-an-example-of-cistercian-spirituality-architecture/Sun, 20 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000Places of MythIntroduction The Abbey of Morimondo, in the village of the same name in the province of Milan, is one of the most significant examples of Cistercian architecture in northern Italy. Founded in the 12th century by monks… https://montezaga.com/articles/lucedio-the-monastery-of-the-damned/https://montezaga.com/articles/lucedio-the-monastery-of-the-damned/Thu, 10 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000Places of MythBetween History, Esotericism, Satanic Rites and Dark Legends The History The abbey of Santa Maria di Lucedio is one of the most fascinating Cistercian foundations in Italy, with a history spanning almost nine centuries… https://montezaga.com/articles/cathedral-of-san-moderanno-berceto/https://montezaga.com/articles/cathedral-of-san-moderanno-berceto/Sun, 30 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000Places of MythThe Cathedral of Berceto: a Romanesque pearl between history and spirituality Set in the picturesque village of Berceto, in the Parma Apennines, the Cathedral (Duomo) of San Moderanno is one of the most fascinating…