Church of St. Zeno - Inside Verona - ENG

The Romanesque Basilica of St. Zeno was built in 12th century in honor of the 8th Bishop of Verona and beloved patron saint of the city, Zeno. Looking at the church from the enchanting square, it could be seen that it's enclosed between another beautiful monuments, the 12th century abbey tower on the left, the bell tower on the right, made of alternate bands of tough and fired bricks and 72 meters high, and a little Romanesque church of St. Procolo, 4th Bishop of Verona. In the center of the façade, the beautiful large rose window is also called the Wheel of Fortune because of the sculptures by Master Briolotto representing six human figures, the king on top, the man in despair at its bottom. Under the rose window, two lions support the columns of the porch, enriched by marble bas-reliefs of traditional themes on either side and by the celebration of St. Zeno in the lunette, who blesses the blue and yellow standard, colors of the city, after defeating the devil. St. Zeno's portal requires a special attention because it's one of the most famous sculptures in the church. The 48 bronze plates show New Testament episodes in the door panel on the left and Old Testament stories in the right one. The inside of the basilica, with the wooden ribbed vault ceiling, is divided in three naves and subdivided into three levels, the main church, the presbytery and the crypt. The walls of the main church are frescoed with a series of votive images, including on the right wall St. George laying the dragon. The monster, fatally wounded by the lance of the saint, clings with its tail to the leg of the horse. On the left of the upper church, there is a polychromatic marble statue, always being known as the Laughing St. Zeno. A peculiar detail is surely the fish hang on the saint's crook that represents, further the classic fishing of the souls, also the bishop's favorite hobby, trout fishing on the banks of the river Adige. The most famous painting of the whole basilica is the amazing 15th century triptych of Andrea Mantegna, the Virgin on the throne, positioning on the altar. Even if at the first sight it couldn't seem, the scene is only one in which the Madonna, the eight saints and child angels are in the same room delimited by pillars and richly adorned with friezes and festoons. The remains of St. Zeno are kept in a crystal urn in the crypt, dressed in episcopal clothes and his face covered with a silver mask. The Basilica of St. Zeno is and will ever be one of the most beloved place of the citizens of Verona and an unrenounceable destination for a tourist who wants to fall in love passionately with this amazing city.