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The Church of St Nicholas in Bassiano: the Medieval Frescoes That Survived the Bombs on the Lepini Mountains
The Church of San Nicola is wedged among the houses of the medieval village of Bassiano, in the Lepini Mountains, in the province of Latina. It dates from the 12th–13th century, and is almost entirely frescoed — a rare thing for such a small church. The Second World War partially destroyed it, and ensuing restoration work caused further damage. The result is an asymmetrical, irregular structure, where the surviving frescoes coexist with the scars of the 20th century.
What can still be seen
Immediately to the right of the entrance is a 13th-century holy water stoup in Cistercian Gothic style with an inverted capital as its base, a typical element of the Abbey of Fossanova, a few miles from here. In the left nave is a 13th-century stone pulpit supported by a small column. In the right transept are frescoes with St Lucy and St Mark the Evangelist. Above the high altar is a 17th-century Madonna Enthroned with Child. A pointed arch separates the altar from the left transept: in the archivolt, a Deposition can still be made out, but the rest is lost. In the left aisle is a large painting by Domenico Fiorentini from 1784 — "The Circumcision of Jesus" — signed and dated by the painter.
