The unknown ‘Sistine Chapel’ by Lorenzo Lotto in Val Cavallina

There is aSistine Chapel‘ hidden in an oratory in Val Cavallina, east of Bergamo: it was commissioned by the Count Giovan Battista Suardi to Lorenzo Lotto to protect himself from the flood that the astrologers had predicted for the imminent February 1524 but also to educate the inhabitants on the threat represented by another ‘wave’, that of theheresy Of Martin Luther. In Trescore Balneario, a pretty spa town not far from Lake Endineit is possible to admire this masterpiece immersed in a splendid park and flanked by the palace of the noble Bergamo family which allows guided tours upon reservation.

History of the oratory

The oratory was built in 1502 and frescoed in the apse area by a local painter. Lotto completes it with a cycle of frescoes full of sacred, esoteric and alchemical references very dear to the Venetian artist, also the author of precious altarpieces and the inlays of the choir of Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo.

Anyone who passed through Trescore on their way to Lake Iseo encountered this chapel that was like a great manifesto of the true faith where the characters come from the most popular classes.

The frescoes

The chapel is dedicated to Santa Barbarawhose struggle recounts the martyrdom ordered by her father for opposing an arranged marriage on the left wall, ea Saint Bridget protector of farmers and life in the fields on the right side. On the back wall are depicted episodes of the life of Saints Catherine and Magdalene. The wind of Protestantism hovers over the work, also considered a threat due to the possible arrival of the Landsknechts.

At the entrance of the chapel you meet Lorenzo Lotto, in a self-portrait dressed as a hunter of birds carrying an owl and a bundle of rods on his shoulders: the metaphor refers to the danger of being deceived by the lure of heresy which can turn out to be a trap. On the right wall he hits for spirituality and symbolism the masterpiece of the oratory: the depiction of Christ as a vine with the branches that start from his hands and wrap around ten spirals high with the images of the Saints, while two ladders rest against the outermost branches from which grape harvesters fall carrying billhooks and sickles in their hands.

In the center the writing “I am the vine, you are the branches”from the Gospel of Saint John. On the opposite wall, the scene dedicated to the beautiful Brigida’s dressing in which the saint, having put aside her worldly dress, rests her head on the altar platform which, by miracle, is strewn with grass and flowers. The miracle is noticed by a child who points to him vehemently, held by the hand by a bystander recognizable as Maffeo Suardi, Battista’s cousin and co-owner of the oratory. The gabled ceiling is covered with intertwined vine branchesa kind of pergola on which the vine shoots climb, while numerous cherubs work in harvesting the bunches.

The covered passage

In the eighteenth century a building was built covered passage to connect the Oratory to Suardi villa and a bell tower and a small sacristy are added. The chapel has remained a sacred and contemplative place over the centuries which is also an authentic treasure chest of art and history. The guided tours are organized by the Pro Loco of Trescore Balnearioaccording to the instructions given on the Prolocotrescore.it website.

It is possible to continue an itinerary dedicated to Lorenzo Lotto in Bergamo, where the Venetian artist left the project of the extraordinary inlays of the choir of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, created by Capoferri, which tell biblical episodes with over 100 wooden essences. Always in the Upper Town, in the church of San Michele al Pozzo Bianco frescoes dedicated to the Virgin can be admired, while in Borgo Pignolo there are two altarpieces with the Madonna and the Saints, respectively in churches of San Bernardino and Santo Spirito. In the Lower City the works at SS Lorenzo e Bartolomeo and Sant’Alessandro in Colonna stand out. The itinerary is completed with the masterpieces kept in the splendid Carrara Academy.