Chiesa di San Nicolò

At Lazise’s old port stands the Romanesque Church of San Nicolò, dedicated to the patron saint of sailors and fishermen. The church is documented from the late twelfth century. Restored in 1953 and again from 2017 to 2020, it now serves as a venue for exhibitions and concerts.

Why it matters

San Nicolò is part of Lazise’s historic port ensemble, beside the Dogana Veneta. The church’s history includes a fire in 1595, its closure by Cardinal Luigi di Canossa in 1879, and its restoration by the municipality in 1953 as a memorial to Lazise’s war dead.

What to notice

The late-twelfth-century Romanesque fabric includes a raised doorway. Inside are fourteenth-century frescoes showing the influence of the Giotto school. A Byzantine-style Madonna on the outer tabernacle was uncovered during restoration in 1926, and an oil painting donated by the Tabasini family hangs behind the altar. The church’s tall bell tower and the nearby Dogana’s arcades form part of the old-port setting.

Context and history

The church’s apse and steeple were damaged in a fire in 1595. The bell tower took its later form in the eighteenth century, when the arcade linking the church to the customs building was demolished. In 1879 Cardinal Luigi di Canossa ordered the church closed. It was later used for local theatre before the municipality restored and rededicated it in 1953. A further restoration from 2017 to 2020 consolidated the building and its surviving frescoes.