Como

Basilica of San Fedele

The three-apsed Romanesque church in the walled town of Como, with its Dragon Portal.

Today
Visit duration: 20–40 min
Booking: Not required
Area: First Basin

Maurizio Moro5153 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Tomcorengia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bramfab · CC BY-SA 4.0

Why go

The church stands on the site of an early Christian basilica dedicated to Saint Euphemia, and took the name of San Fedele in 964, when the saint's relics were brought here.

The Romanesque building has three apses arranged in a trefoil, with two ambulatories, on a scheme derived from the Palatine Chapel at Aachen. The main apse rises in three tiers to a small loggia of marble colonnettes. On the small right-hand apse opens the Dragon Portal, with medieval reliefs: Habakkuk and the angel, Daniel in the lions' den, chimeras and dragons.

A Romanesque church with three apses in a trefoil, three minutes from the cathedral.
The Dragon Portal is on the outside: its reliefs can be looked at at any hour.

Highlights

The apse with its loggia
The three-apsed plan with its ambulatories

Getting there

On foot inside the walled town, three minutes from the cathedral.

The basilica's octagonal crossing tower and Romanesque bell tower seen from above, among the red tiled roofs of the walled town.

Accessibility

There are two steps at the entrance from Piazza San Fedele and a single low step at the side entrance on Via Vittorio Emanuele; inside, the aisles are free of obstacles, with one step up to the two chapels beside the presbytery and three to the altar.

Practical information

Address

Via Vittorio Emanuele II 96, 22100 Como

Telephone

+39 031 3868316

This is the number of the parish of San Fedele, at Via Vittorio Emanuele II 94.

Facilities

Car park 95 m away
Public toilets 34 m away

Distances from the point on the map.

Webcams

Como, the city and the first basinLive video · Skyline Webcams · 250 m
Brunate, looking northUpdated image · Ristorante Hotel Falchetto, su WeatherCam · 1.5 km