THE BUILDER DECEMBER 1918

THE COMACINE MASTERS -- AN APPENDIX
BY BRO. W. RAVENSCROFT, ENGLAND

SINCE writing my "Further Notes on the Comacine Masters," which
appeared in THE BUILDER for July, August and September, 1918, I
have had opportunity for reading some additional references to them
and, as they throw fresh light on the subject, I have translated a
few extracts from these references as an appendix to what I have
already written.

The translations are as follows:

L'Italia: Monumentale, Asti. Prof. A. BevilacquaLazise, p. 6.

"Of the Lombard-Carlovingian period there are preserved to us in
Asti three precious relics; the Crypt of S. Secondo (del Mercato),
of S. Giovanni and part of that of S. Anastasio.

"These show us the first tentative efforts and the commencement of
artistic progress in that nucleus of artificers who, in Lombard
territory at the beginning of the seventh century, were already
developing a reproduction of the traditional Roman construction and
giving to Europe the architecture of the following middle age.

"Crypt of S. Secondo. Erected on the spot where tradition places
the martyrdom of the patron saint of the city and hence, from the
earliest ages of Christianity, sacred, it arose probably in the
first half of the seventh century. Of that period are its capitals
surmounted by a coarse abacus something like a cushion and of a
form vaguely approaching that of the pre-Lombard cube introduced in
Lombardy at the end of the seventh century. (See illustrations.)

"Crypt of S. Giovanni. This was the ancient Episcopal baptistry of
Asti. It arose probably in the period of Liutprand (712-744). Since
we find already formed the pre-Lombard cube capitals (according to
the denomination of Rivoira), with the cube roughly shaped off, of
which we certainly have no examples before this date. One may also
assign to this epoch, indirectly confirmed by documents, the
transfer of the Episcopal seat which, until the seventh century,
was placed without the walls near the church of S. Secondo and
thereby made a little more secure. One remarks in this crypt the
capitals of the Theodorican' reconstruction of Asti and the figure
capital, one of two only, dating from the pre-Lombard artistic
period with human figures.

"Crypt of S. Anastasio. It arose not much before 792-793, the year
of the document in which it is mentioned. The Comacini in its
construction were assisted by Ravennese, at any rate in the
decorative portions as is evidenced by the capitals of the two
schools when compared with some others of the Theodorican time. It
is noteworthy that one of the Ravennese capitals shows a remarkable
affinity with one co-eval of S. Vincenzo in Prato, Milanese (eighth
century) and one Comacine which preludes an art more complete and
evolved."

Referring to the church of S. Anastasio (recently destroyed), Prof.
Bevilacqua-Lazise says (p. 10):

"The church taken altogether permits the affirmation that it was
the work of Comacine Masters nor is there in its ornamentation any
trace of trans-Alpine influence."

Merzario: "I. Maestri Comacini," vol. I, p. 113, writing about S.
Marks, Venice, says:

"The basilical iconography and its system of masonry; the crypt,
which is a medieval in use before 900; certain rude and discordant
sculpture in the taste of that of Altino; some forms of columns, of
vaults and of arcades; several symbolic figures, griffins, flowers,
birds and hieroglyphics, and the other emblems which are seen in
the atrium and in the narthex of S. Ambrose of Milan are almost
exclusively the property of the Comacines, and added to this their
continual dependance on the Patriarchate of Aquileja attested of
their presence in S. Marks."

L'Italia: Monumentale, Venice (S. Mark), L. Marongoni, p. 6.

"In the year 829 under the Doge Giovanni Partecipazio, brother of
Guistiniano, was initiated the construction of the first edifice
which was of more restricted proportions than the existing church,
its architecture being that of a Latin basilica."

L' Italia: Monumentale, Como. D. Santo Monti, pp. 6 and 7.

"Seventy-five years after the descent of the Lombards into Italy,
in 643, appeared a code of Rotari and after about another 100 years
an edict of King Liutprand, both referring to a Society of
'Magistri Comacini' and of their 'Colleganti.' It will not be
unreasonable to suppose that thisl Society or association, college
or fraternity, whichever you will, existed some time before the
coming of the Lombards into Italy and thrived under the Goths and
under Greek influence; that it was probably a derivation of an
ancient college or association of arts and business existing from
Roman times and under their laws, the cradle, so to speak, of
Mustio the architect of Pliny, and not altogether lost from amongst
us, surviving unimpaired the darkness of the age of barbarian
domination."

L'Italia: Monumentale, Trieste. A. Berlam, p. 10.

"In the first times of Christianity about the fourth century arose
the little church of S. Silvestro in honour of the Pope Silvester
I who baptized Constantine. According to tradition, on the site of
the church stood the house of the Triestine martyrs Eufemia and
Tecla (2) whose sarcophagus was preserved until 1700 as we read in
the writings of the historian Ireneo della Croce.


"* * * And still we come to this church, dear to the heart of all
Triestmes both as a symbol of Latinity and as a souvenir of the
fourteenth century free commune, to this S. Cicisto toward which
flies the Italian homage of Carducci.

L'Italia: Monumentale, I Monumenti del Lago di Como. Cigo Monneret
de Villard.

"The Lake in the Antonine Itinerary is called Comacina--its ancient
name"--p. 6.-

"Not only the three 'Pievi' but also the Island of Comacina set up
itself as an independent republic." p. 9.

"In this epoch of quarrels and massacres the architecture of Como
flourished a school special and distinct from the Romanic
('Romanica') architecture of Italy--that which one sees always so
falsely called by the generic name of Lombard.

"The lombard architecture is itself a school specially distinct
from the great Romanic trunk which, contrary to pre-supposition,
has tendencies, methods and oblets peculiar to itself, differing
from those of the Comacine school. If this confusion has been
possible and it was believed that one was simply a local form of
the other and one saw but little difference in them, it is due to
the carelessness and the want of goodwill of students who,
attracted and fascinated by the grand monuments of the Milanese,
found it too fatiguing and too little interesting to explore the
Como district to study the monuments which have there been erected
from the commencement of the eleventh to the end of the thirteenth
centuries.

"In these short pages it is not possible to treat deeply the
questions, but we may perhaps indicate the limits at sufficent
length. 

"Comacine architecture in the Romanci epoch has sufficiently well-
defined boundary; it includes the high valleys of the Ticino and
the Adda, the Canton Ticino which is found in our days, the
Valtellina, all the territory of the ancient diocese of Como, the
northern part of the ancient countship of Seprio, the northern
Brianza, the Valassina and the Valsassina, the eastern bank of
Lario (Lake Como) which depended from the diocese of Milan;
approaching that which constituted the district under the
administrative rule of the province of Como and that of Sondrio and
the canton Ticino and the frontiers of the bordering regions. The
heart of it is certainly Como and the Lake: here it is that we find
the greatest number and most important of the monuments. The
materials of which use was made are naturally those which the soil
produced; thus we see why the architecture Milanese or Lombard,
whichever we wish to call it, is based on terra-cotta--the Comacine
uses stone; the quarries of Moltrasio and those of analogous
material furnished the fundamental elements while the marbles of
Olcio and of Musso less spread (more limited?) served for the works
more refined. The great river fiints are not disdained for works of
less importance.

"From the constructive point of view the problem of the vault is
fundamental in Lombard architecture as in all such schools of
Romanic architecture it is of great architectural importance; in
Comacine architecture it is, on the contrary, secondary only.

"As in France the Norman school and that of the Isle of France, as
in Italy the architectural Romanic school of the center and south
of the peninsula, so in the northern part Comacine architecture,
rather than prosecute the efforts of the Carlovingian epoch of
adapting the vault to the basilican plan, or to the central form of
plan, contented itself with resuits already achieved by the Latin
school with the basilica covered by a wooden roof.

"The only vaulted part in the Comacine churches is the apse, except
certain cupolas in transepts as at Vertemate at S. Giacomo and at
S. Fedele of Como, or adopted to the polygonal plan as at S.
Giovanni in Atrio di Como and a few transepts covered at the
crossing in front of the apses, an example of which can be seen in
S. Giacomo of Bellagio. 

"The problem of the vault has drawn in its following special forms
of pillars grouped in isolated support and of the pilasters and
counter forts to external walls. There is nothing of all this in
Comacine architecture of which the supports are always simple (it
being the conservative ahd traditional school) having generally the
form of columns. In reality they were round pillars composed of
many dressed stones, as for example at S. Abondio di Como and at S.
Giacomo di Bellagio, pillars which are also to be found at
Gravedona at Vertemate and in the Episcopal palace of Como. The
walls are always simple and if they have pilastels they are such as
are purely decorative and not constructional.

"The roofs are covered with wood, some open timbered, others
inclosed with ceilings as at S. Nicolao di Piona or at S. Maria di
Martinico above Dongo.

"It is only in the monuments of Como that the influence of the
Lombard school is felt which we find in 'Tiburium' over the
crossing. This is systematically wanting in all other cases. The
arrangement of plan as a rule in the Comacine school is that of the
basilicia with one nave (3) only and with semicircular apse, toward
the end of the twelfth century the rectangular apse was substituted
for this.

"Basilicas with two naves as at S. Agata di Montrasio are very
rare--generallly the second nave came as an enlargement of the
church. Rare also are basilicas with three naves as at S. Benedetto
della Perlana, S. Giacomo di Bellagio, S. Marta Sopra Carate and
the demolished church of S. Vincenzo in Gravedona. Still more rare
are the churches with central form of plan, of which on the Lake we
may instance the baptistry of Lenno, S. Maria del Tigilo at
Gravedona and the square demolished baptistry of Menaggio.
Interesting crypts we have at Lenno and at Gravedona; rarely one
finds cloisters of which the sole remaining one on the Lake is that
of Piona.

"The campinili are during the eleventh and twelfth centuries always
of one same type--square towers with pilasters at the angles
divided in the several stages by rows of little arches surmounted
sometimes by rows of stones placed dentil-wise.

"To the several stories loopholes open of single lights, of two
lights, and sometimes in the belfry of three lights.

"In the thirteenth century was substituted a simpler type of tower,
square and terminating with four piers which carried the roof as at
S. Martino di Cal eno and at S. Pietro in Vincoli at Bignanico,
campanili similar to the tower of Broletto of Como.

"The octagonal campanile of Gravedona and that like it, now
demolished, of Piona are exceptions derived from ultra-montane
influence.

"The position of the campanili also is little varied. In general
flanking the nave near the apse but at other times placed in the
front occupying only a part of the facade as at Bellagio, or masked
completely as at S. Nazaro e Celso di Scaria, and sometimes arising
from the interior of the church placed on two walls of the nave of
which one is the front wall, as at S.'Andrea di Lenno.

"The entrances are generally formed with lunettes surmounting
friezes, the windows always round-headed. In the facades are
usually cruciform lights, and towards the end of the twelfth
century appeared the round windows, as at S. Maria di Martinico.

"Examples of external arcades flanking the naves and apses we have
not except in the case of S. Giacomo and S. Fedele at Como where
there are evidences of Lombard-Milanese or Rhenish influence. The
facades, when the basilicas are of three naves, are divided, the
central portion raised, and demonstrating clearly the structure
behind, S. Carpoforo of Como being alone the exception. In this
particular the Comacine school clearly is distinguished from the
Lombard-Milanese which always treats the three naves as one front.

"Comacine decoration is both simple and interesting. Generally
under the eaves of the edifice runs a cornice of small arches
surmounted sometimes by a dentilled frieze. In the apses besides
such arches we get also vertical pilasters enriched sometimes with
semi-columns and these small arches run on the facades, following
the sailing courses of the pediments. This is in fact the customary
treatment of Lombard Milanese architecture.

"The churches were nearly always covered with frescoes, conspicuous
amongst which is the gigantic figule of S. Christopher, the
protector of travelers.

"It is in sculpture that Comacine architecture reveals its proper
characteristics--the capitals have rarely the simple cubic Lombard
form but they present in great variety forms recalling in some
respects ancient design.

"The decoration, contrary to that of the Lombard Milanese school
which made much use of interlaced ribbons, presents true
characteristics of sculpture with figures of animals such as dogs
following each other in the capitals of Cernobbio heads, and
eagles, as at Piona, and sometimes with truly animated scenes, as
in the magnificent capital conserved in the museum of Como.

"The Comacine school is meanwhile that which was most affected by
external influence---that of the Rhenish school explaining itself
easily by the frequent and important relations which the Ghibelline
city (Milan ?) had with the empire, the Lake and its valleys being
the natural road for descent from Germany into Italy, and that of
Burgundy by the introduction of the Monastic orders of the
Benedictines--the reformed Benedictines and the Cluniacs, who from
the center of the Island of Comacini spread themselves over all the
region' of Como. The Rhenish influence imposed itself chiefly on
architectural form and alone can explain the positions of the
frontal towel s of S. Giacomo di Como, while the Burgundian, which
is powerfully revealed in S. Maria del Tiglio at Gravedona,
dom'inates the decorative sculpture.

"A development so rich of Romanic art ought not to leave a large
place for Gothic architecture--in effect all the countries, being
already provided with churches when this new form of architecture
appeared, did not feel the need of erecting others. Besides which
the Comacine school, liking not vaults as coverings, would not
allow itself to be attracted by the new school, which in the
solution of this problem had its base, its object, and its raison
d' etre.

"For this reason there does not exist a Comacine Gothic
architecture strictly characteristic.

"In the greater number of cases the architects wele content to
apply to a Romanic structure decorative forms nearly always only
substituting lancet for semicircular arches where they are small
and decorative." (p. 10 et seq.)

In the foregoing extracts there is considerable unanimity of
opinion, if perhaps one or two of the statements of Sig. Monneret
de Villard, to which I propose to make a few allusions, are
excepted.

Sig. de Villard, it will be noticed, takes a limited view of the
territory and scope of the Comacine Masters. Merzario takes an
extremely wide one. The former comes to his conclusions by
differentiating the Comacine from the Lombard school to an extent
one is not prepared to follow altogether. He refers to the latter
as a branch of architecture distinct from the Roman trunk depending
for development largely on the use of brick and the effort to deal
with the vault, which latter in Comacine work, he says, finds no
important place. But he admits the influence of each school on the
other, and gives examples of such.

Now it must not be forgotten that for a considerable time the
Comacines were ffrst in the ffeld working extensively in the
Lombard plain, the Lombards for a long time having no school of
architecture. The natural inference therefore is that the Lombard
school was developed from the Comacine and largely influenced by
the use of brick and the vault--both of which were to some extent
used by the Comacines.

Moreover the differences between the two schools --if they are to
be in any great sense regarded as distinct--are not nearly so
strongly marked as, for instance, those between the Norman and
early English styles of architecture where, in early English work
all the leading features, in their full development, are the very
opposite of those in Norman work, and yet we know, subject of
course to a good deal of external influence, the one grew out of
the other and there was for a short time a transition stage between
the two.

All the same it would be going too far to speak of Comacine and
Lombard work, especially as time advanced, as one and the same.

Sig. de Villard's contentions as regards a few details, one would
submit, are not altogether borne out.

For instance, he makes the cushion capitals of columns the property
of the Lombard school, and speaks of their rare occurrence in
Comacine work. Yet without looking specially for them, one has seen
them in S. ALbondio Como, S. Giacomo Como, at Bellagio on Comacina,
at Gravedona, and in the crypt of S. Marks, Venice--all Comacine
work and mostly in the Comacine district. (4)

So with the interlaced ornament. There is abundance of it at S.
Abondio Como and beautiful specimens at Gravedona and elsewhere in
this same district, as well as all over Italy--all probably having
oriental or origin.

One would submit further that in several instances especially in
campanili the use of brick does not, as Sig. de Villard suggests,
denote the work as Lombard, seeng that notwithstanding this
material many of these works have features which he regards as
distinctly Comacine. Further he tells us that the "three naves"
plan in Comacine work is rare, and yet he says where found therein
it is always emphasized and not masked on the facade as in Lombard
work. This treatment, however, is to be found all over Italy and
the principal church on Isola Comacina was a "three nave" church.

As a matter of fact it is impossible to draw any definite line
between the two schools--one would rather say as they advanced in
time they showed increasing tendencies to separate development, the
Comacine being the more conservative in its character.

The churches at Piacenza, as well as some of those in Milan, give
good illustrations of the development in brick of Lombard work.

From the foregoing translations generally it is not unreasonable to
conclude:

1. That Eastern and trans-Alpine influences on both Comacine and
Lombard work are admitted, but with less constructive effect in the
former than in the latter.

2. That the Lombard school, insofar as it merits a separate name,
was developed from the Comacines.

3. That the cushion capitals of the Norman school were derived from
the Comacines, examples not being known before the eighth century,
when they may have been evolved in the manner described by Prof.
Bevilacqua-Lazise.

4. That the influence of trans-Alpine Gothic in Italy generally,
and particularly on the Comacine and Lombard schools was,
especially in its earlier days, largely superficial and never
wholly satisIactory or complete.

A few words may be added as to the relation between the Comacine
plans of churches and the earlier examples which remain to us in
England of the Saxon and early Norman periods.

Sig. Monneret de Villard states that the greater number of Comacine
churches were planned each with one nave only, and a semicircular
apse, which latter was substituted toward the end of the twelfth
century by the rectangular chancel. Also that the nave and aisle
arrangement was not so common in Comacine work, while crypts are to
be found in several instances. And we have already seen that
repeatedly artificers were called over from the Continent to
England to build churches in the Roman manner.

It must surely, therefore, be more than a coincidence that the
plans of a large number of these early churches conform to those of
the Comacines, and, taken with other evidence already adduced, one
submits the reason for this was the Comacine influence brought to
bear on them.

No attempt is here made to give a complete list of these English
churches, but the following are just such as have come under
notice:

Those consisting of nave only and apse are:

Four connected with the Mission of S. Augustine to England (sixth
century).

The first Cathedral of Rochester.

The Church of S. Pancras at Canterbury.

The original priory of Christchurch, Hants, consisting of several
chapels standing apart from each other, two still remaining beneath
the transepts of the present church.

The original church of Corhampton, Hants.

Those consisting of nave only and rectangular chancel, as in the
later Comacine work are:

The Saxon church of Bradford on Avon.

The Saxon church of Escomb, Durham.

That of Monkwearmouth, Durham. (Since enarged.)

That of Jarrow, Durham. (A. D. 684.)

That of Corbridge, Northumberland.

That of Boarhunt, Hants.

That of Hambledon, Hants. (Since enlarged.)

Also many others where the original plan is much obscured by later
additions.

Those of the basilican form, i. e., with nave aisles and apse are:

Wilfrid's Church at Hexham, having also a crypt and arrangement of
stairs thereto, all of Comacine type.

Wilfrid's Church at Ripon, similar in arrangement.

The Saxon Church at Brixwortll, Northants, built about A. D. 680,
and having a rectallgular presbytery placed between the nave and
apse, another Comacine feature.

The Church at Lydd, Kent.

The Church at Wing, Bedfordshire.

The Church at Reculvers, Kent.

The original Cathedral of Canterbury (destroyed by fire in 1067)
with its apse at the west end.

The original Church at Romsey.

The crypt of Winchester Cathedral.

The Parish Church, Goring, Oxon.

To give a list of churches illustrating the basilican plan, but
with rectangular chancels with or without transepts or central
towers, would carry beyond the scope of these notes, because such
would have to be drawn chiefly from types of later date which can
scarcely be claimed to have such direct Comacine association.

(1) Theodoric the Great, A. D. 455-526.
(2) S. Eufemia (Sept. 16) was honored in Como, being patron of the
church afterwards known as S. Fedele, also of the excavated church
at Comacina. S. Tecla is honored at Torno.
(3) Italian writers generally denominate as "naves" not only those
portions of a building we understand as such, but also those
adjacent which we call "aisles." "Transepts," also in Italian
works, frequently means only the crossings and not the extended
wings which we understand by the word.
(4) If the twisted knot in the shafts of minor columns is allowed
to be Comacine (probably derived from the East or of Greek origin)
they are in the first left-side doorway at S. Marks, Venice, an
evidence of these Masters there.
