Isola San Giulio

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Isola San Giulio Orta Isola San Giulio.jpg
Isola San Giulio
Isola San Giulio, with Orta San Giulio behind Isola Orta Isola San Giulio.jpg
Isola San Giulio, with Orta San Giulio behind

Isola San Giulio or San Giulio Island (Italian: Isola di San Giulio) is an island within Lake Orta in Piedmont, northwestern Italy. The island is 275 metres (902 feet) long (north/south), and is 140 metres (459 feet) wide (east/west). The most famous building on the island is the Basilica di San Giulio close to which is the monumental old seminary (1840s). Since 1976 it has been transformed into a Benedictine monastery.

Island Any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or a lake island may be called an eyot or ait, and a small island off the coast may be called a holm. A grouping of geographically or geologically related islands is called an archipelago, such as the Philippines.

Lake Orta lake

Lake Orta is a lake in northern Italy, west of Lake Maggiore.

Piedmont Region of Italy

Piedmont is a region in northwest Italy, one of the 20 regions of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east and the Aosta Valley region to the northwest; it also borders France to the west and Switzerland to the northeast. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres (9,808 sq mi) and a population of 4 377 941 as of 30 November 2017. The capital of Piedmont is Turin.

The little island, just west of the lakeshore village of Orta San Giulio, has very picturesque buildings, and takes its name from a local patron saint (Julius of Novara), who lived in the second half of the 4th century. The church of San Giulio, Castellanza, which is located in Castellanza, Varese, northern Italy, was named after the island.

Julius of Novara saint

Julius of Novara, also Julius of Aegina was a missionary priest to northern Italy.

Church of San Giulio, Castellanza Church in Italy

The Church of San Giulio is located in Castellanza, Varese, Northern Italy. It was built in the 20th century. The church is named after the saint Julius of Novara, also known as Giulio, who was a priest in the 4th century that was devoted to converting the heathen temples into Christian churches. The church (building) is located in Paolo VI Square, adjacent to corso Matteotti which divides the town of Castellanza in two parts. It is on the site of an earlier church, the Church of the Holy Family.

History

In the 5th century, a small chapel (oratorium) was erected on the island, probably to commemorate the evangelizer Saint Julius, who had died there. From archaeological finds it is known that a new, larger church already existed in the 6th century: here Filacrio, the bishop of Novara, asked to be buried.

Novara Comune in Piedmont, Italy

Novara is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 104 284 inhabitants (1-1-2017), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin and from Genoa to Switzerland. Novara lies between the rivers Agogna and Terdoppio in northeastern Piedmont, 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Milan and 95 kilometres (59 mi) from Turin.

Around the same time, an octagonal building - probably a baptistery - was erected in the middle of the island. Every trace of it disappeared in the 19th century when the massive building of the seminary was built. In the 12th century a new romanesque basilica was built, thus altering the previous one to some extent.

Baptistery

In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry is the separate centrally planned structure surrounding the baptismal font. The baptistery may be incorporated within the body of a church or cathedral, and provided with an altar as a chapel. In the early Church, the catechumens were instructed and the sacrament of baptism was administered in the baptistery.

Romanesque architecture architectural style of Medieval Europe

Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later date being the most commonly held. In the 12th century it developed into the Gothic style, marked by pointed arches. Examples of Romanesque architecture can be found across the continent, making it the first pan-European architectural style since Imperial Roman architecture. The Romanesque style in England is traditionally referred to as Norman architecture.

Basilica building used as a place of Christian worship

The Latin word basilica has three distinct applications in modern English. Originally, the word was used to refer to an ancient Roman public building, where courts were held, as well as serving other official and public functions. It usually had the door at one end and a slightly raised platform and an apse at the other, where the magistrate or other officials were seated. The basilica was centrally located in every Roman town, usually adjacent to the main forum. Subsequently, the basilica was not built near a forum but adjacent to a palace and was known as a "palace basilica".

The religious reformer William of Volpiano (Saint William of Dijon) was born on the island in 962, in the fortified castle located on the island, whose large walls were called "Queen Willa's walls" from the name of king Berengario II's wife.

William of Volpiano Italian monastic reformer and architect

Saint William of Volpiano was an Italian monastic reformer and architect.

Willa, known as Willa of Tuscany (911/912-970), was medieval Italian noblewoman. By birth she was a member of the Bosonid noble dynasty. By marriage to Berengar II of Italy she was countess of Ivrea from 930 to 963, and queen consort of Italy from 950 to 963.

Berengar II of Italy Italian monarch

Berengar II was the King of Italy from 950 until his deposition in 961. He was a scion of the Anscarid and Unruoching dynasties, and was named after his maternal grandfather, Berengar I. He succeeded his father as Margrave of Ivrea around 923, and after 940 led the aristocratic opposition to Kings Hugh and Lothair II. In 950 he succeeded the latter and had his son, Adalbert crowned as his co-ruler. In 952 he recognised the suzerainty of Otto I of Germany, but he later joined a revolt against him. In 960 he invaded the Papal States, and the next year his kingdom was conquered by Otto. Berengar remained at large until his surrender in 964. He died imprisoned in Germany two years later.

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