Basilica di San Carpoforo, Como

Gorgeous historic

The Church of San Carpoforo is a special, silent place. The visit takes a maximum of half an hour, and is easily accessible both on foot from the city center and by public transport. San Carpoforo represents the historical soul of Como. It was in fact the first basilica of the diocese and the first cathedral. Built in the 4th century at the behest of the first Bishop, San Felice. The first Christian community was born around this Church. Of classical Romanesque architecture, it has undergone many renovations over time, which is why little remains of the very first construction. A peculiarity is that there is no main entrance (apparently because the church, built at the foot of the mountain on which the Baradello Castle stands, is repeatedly collapsed) but only two lateral ones: one from the cloister of the adjacent monastery and one from the opposite side. The interior of San Carpoforo consisting of three naves is simple and austere (but this is the most interesting feature!): The ceiling in the main nave has wooden trusses, in the lateral cross vaults, the bare walls, the floor in slabs grays made with local stones. You will find a single fresco at the back of the Church which dates back to the 18th century and which represents the baptism of Jesus