| 10. Nozze di Cana |
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| THE CHAPELS [Internet Explorer 6 only] | |||
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ArchiteCturE  The chapel was commissioned in the first half of the 17th century by the community of Lessona, whose choice for main decorative subject fell on one of the Mysteries of the Rosary connected to vineyard work. The ground plan is rectangular and the prospect imposing. On the façade, scarcely decorated with stonework, two groups of lesenes, sustained by a high basement, support a band cornice. Internally the atrium is subdivided by a stone balustrade, supporting an elegant wrought iron grating, both dating back to the 16th century. In the area accessible to the public, to the right, a small staircase provides access to the upper level, which however does not seem to be destined to any particular function. The restoration of the roof, completed approximately thirty years ago, by substituting the old wooden beams sustaining the stone slabs with a concrete pitched roof, greatly altered the original structure. INTERNAL SCENE  The sculptural group was mainly modeled by Giovanni D’Errico, with the help of other artists. The scene, a wedding banquet, miraculously conveys the sense of movement, stupor as well as the vivacity of the characters, giving the illusion almost of a snapshot. The disposition of the statues is equally artful. Jesus is positioned in the centre, the Virgin Mary to his left, and to the right the remarkable figure of the ‘old banquet guest’ turning to admire the prodigy. The other guests and relatives appear seated at the table, around which pageboys, servants and ‘credenzieri’ render the atmosphere vibrant and realistic. In the upper part of the scene a group of musicians, playing from a rostrum supported by three corbels shaped as caryatids, enliven the company. The interventions on the sculptural group were numerous. In 1723 facial features such as hair and beard were restored and in 1724 Auregio repainted several characters. The restoration works of 1969 significantly altered the figures by repainting them with extravagant colours, and by substituting the original decorations, such as the table and the flowers, by items made of plastic. OTHER PHOTOS Click on the image to see the following or to use the navigation bar.
               
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