The prestigious ecclesiastical complex of Bergamo Alta, consisting of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and the Duomo, is completed by the Tempietto di Santa Croce, now more defiladed but once an integral element of the city center.
The building is mentioned as early as 1133 in a document and referred to as a “capella episcopi,” or bishop’s chapel.
What function did this minute building have then?
Connected to the ancient Bishop’s Palace, as well as to the Basilica, it constituted the Curia Hall where the Bishop gave audiences.
It consists of two volumes on top of each other, one with a quadrilobed plan and the other octagonal, and echoes the central scheme of other Romanesque buildings located in the province of Bergamo, such as the Rotonda di San Tomè in Almenno San Bartolomeo, the basilica of Santa Giulia in Bonate sotto, and the priory of Sant’Egidio in Fontanella di Sotto il Monte.
Inside you will also be able to admire numerous medieval frescoes telling episodes from the life of Jesus that have recently been brought to light.