The small Romanesque temple of San Fedelino rises on the western shore of Lake Mezzola, in a secluded and silent place
According to tradition it was erected at the turn of the X-XI century, in the place where the bones of the Martyr Fedele were found, in the northernmost point of Lake Como, where the Mera river flows. The position is strategic: here Valchiavenna and the Spluga Pass and Valtellina come together, the great communication routes between Milan and Northern Europe, like Via Regina.
The church of San Fedelino can be reached with an itinerary starting from Dascio, in the municipality of Sorico. Take the path near the church and in about 10 minutes you will reach the Sasso di Dascio (277 m), a promontory with a beautiful view of Pian di Spagna. A mule track first and a path then, which continues in steps and slightly uphill among the chestnut groves, leads to a hill, the highest point of the route (496 m). A steep descent leads to the banks of River Mera. Skirting the river for a stretch, you pass two rocky slopes with the help of comfortable metal stairs. A last a flat stretch by the river leads us to the Romanesque temple of San Fedelino (208 m).
Difficulty: E ( Excursionist )
Travel time: 2 hours
History and architecture
San Fedele, martyr of Como Church, was killed around 300 at the time of Diocletian and Maximian’s persecutions. He was an emperor’s soldier who, having converted to Christianity, refused to make sacrificial offerings to the pagan gods before a battle. For this reason, he was sentenced to death. To escape the sentence, he fled to Como and went up the north lake with a boat, where he was joined by the assassins of and beheaded. On the place of martyrdom a chapel was built, but then it was forgotten. In 964 the relics were rediscovered, thanks to a local woman who would have seen San Fedele in a dream, indicating the place of the burial: the bishop, informed of the dream, ordered to dig in search of the relics, which were found in the indicated place and later transported to Como to be kept the basilica of Santa Eufemia, which for the occasion was named after San Fedele. The oratory was erected on the site of the discovery.
The San Fedelino Temple was built with the stone collected in the surrounding mountains. It has two entrances, one on the south side and another on the north side. Both the inside and the outside were completely covered with frescoes. The external ones disappeared, parts of the internal ones remain, largely damaged by humidity. The best preserved decoration is in the apse, on the vault is depicted Christ Pantocrator between two angels
Photo gallery by Flavio Bortolussi
