Saint George, Mercurago
Itineraries From the Park all around
Mercurago's inhabited area lies on the first range of hills, below the Park hills.
There were found huts and piledwelling from the Bronze Age around and inside the main lake, and a small Golasecca necropolis at Motto Lagone.
The various artifact found at Lagone in 1860 - 70 are dated about 1800 - 1600 and 1450 - 1300 BC. The burial decorations from Motto Lagone date from half of the 6th - beginnig of the 5th century BC.
The territory closer to urban Mercurago gave other artifact: fragments from Gallic vase beyond the "Castle Hill" and the tomb of a Longobard warrior (7th century AD) at the border with Dormello.
Most of all, the hilltop was a sacred site in ancient time: in fact from under the church come to Roman stone inscriptions dedicated to the Matrones and to Mercury (2nd and 1st century AD), and fragments from an altarpiece inserted in a pillar from the hall.
The very name of Mercurago seems to come from a Roman owner called Mercurius and not from the god af the same name, as was formerly thought.
The town was first mentioned in 11th or even 12th century documents, while the castle was first mentioned in as early as 1223.
The church of Saint George, first mentioned in documents in 1351, possesses an even older bell tower. The regular aisle, bearing on it, goes back to the 16th century. It has a barrel-shaped vault with lunettes.
Between 1884 and 1885 an octagonal structure, by architect Ercole Marietti, was added to the facade. In 1939 the interior was completely decorated in neo renaissance style from the "Beato Angelico School", on a plan by Professor Coccoli. The painting of an angel on an external niche on the left of the aisle goes back to the 16th century.
Info
Other informations about itineraries From the Park all around are available on this web site, and nearby the described monument, in English.
Information provided by GASMA (Arona's Archeological, Historical, Mineralogical Group)
For guided tours please contact Associazione ProntoGuide
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Last updated: March 7th 2004