Basilica Minore dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo

The Basilica Minore of Saints Philip and James is Cortina d'Ampezzo's parish church and the principal Baroque building of the valley. Built from 1769 to 1775 on the site of two earlier churches, it contains paintings by Franz Anton Zeiler, a fresco by Giuseppe Ghedina and an altar tabernacle by Andrea Brustolon.

Why it matters

Dedicated to Saints Philip and James the Lesser, Cortina's patron saints, the basilica is the head of the Ampezzo parish. Its site preserves a succession of sanctuaries: a thirteenth-century church and a sixteenth-century building preceded the present structure. The church has formally held the title of minor basilica since 2011.

What to notice

Franz Anton Zeiler painted the nave decoration in 1774–75. Two large biblical canvases by him, Esther before Ahasuerus and The Judgement of Solomon, flank the presbytery. Giuseppe Ghedina painted the Trinity in the presbytery vault in 1859. The high altar, executed in 1773 by Johann Müssack junior, is wooden with a stucco-like lustre finish; the tabernacle is an autograph work by Andrea Brustolon. The altar of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is carved, painted and gilded wood. Statues of the two patron saints stand on the façade.

Context and history

The present church was built from 1769 to 1775 to a design attributed to architect M. Promperg-Costa, on the site of the earlier churches. The community funded the project. The nave received Zeiler's decorative cycle soon after construction, while Ghedina's presbytery fresco followed in 1859. Architect Gianluca Ghedini directed a full restoration from 2007 to 2009. In 2011 the parish church was elevated to the rank of minor basilica.