Chiesa di Santa Maria (Cisano)

The Church of Santa Maria stands in Cisano, a lakeside hamlet of Bardolino. It is associated with the ancient parish church, or pieve, of the settlement, whose history reaches back to the early Middle Ages.

Why it matters

Santa Maria preserves traces of Cisano's religious past in a place shaped by the communities along Lake Garda. An act dated 915 is among the early written records associated with the pieve. The surviving fragments connect the present church to a much older sacred site.

What to notice

Parts of the Romanesque facade and apse survive amid later fabric. Early medieval remains have also been identified at the site. Reused stone fragments carved with vine patterns recall the decorative work once associated with the church.

Context and history

The pieve of Cisano was dedicated to San Giuliano before the later church took the name Santa Maria. Its Romanesque building was substantially altered over time and demolished in 1854, leaving fragments that preserve aspects of its earlier form.