Located in the Lower City, opposite the Bank of Italy headquarters, the Temple is the place of worship for the Bergamo Protestant community.
It was built in the second half of the 19th century based on the design by architect Giacomo Frizzoni. The inauguration took place - as the inscription in the atrium recalls - on April 30, 1876. Thus, the second Protestant place of worship in Lombardy was born, second only to Milan. At the laying of the last stone, the Reformed Community of Bergamo was just sixty-nine years old. It was officially founded during the Napoleonic era (1807) by a group of Protestant merchants and entrepreneurs, mostly of Swiss origin, like most of the Reformed settled in the city. The most prominent among them were also the financiers of the Temple, through land or monetary donations. This includes the Frizzoni family, who offered the plot of land on which the building now stands; old prints and paintings show that originally, the building was surrounded by meadows and small woods, all owned by Palazzo Frizzoni.
The style of the Temple is Neorenaissance with strong references to the Romanesque and the work of Boniforte Solari (15th century) in the clean lines of the architecture and the use of materials typical of Lombard tradition: terracotta for the walls and stone for the sculptural elements. The façade is gabled, decorated with arches, pilasters, and a subtle alternation of brick-colored shades. The entrance is in the center of the lower span and is surmounted by round arches, as are the two side windows. The standout features include the Christ with angels in the lunette and the beautiful rose window in the upper span. Inside, there is a wooden-stone pulpit, an exquisite marble baptismal font, and a Lingiardi organ from Pavia, placed on the internal gallery overlooking the entrance. The apse is adorned with three polychrome stained glass windows representing the risen Jesus Christ and the apostles Paul and John.
The Temple is managed by the Protestant community of Bergamo as part of the Protestant Cultural Center, along with the Archive and the Girolamo Zanchi Library, located on Via Tasso.
Located in the Lower City, opposite the Bank of Italy headquarters, the Temple is the place of worship for the Bergamo Protestant community.
It was built in the second half of the 19th century based on the design by architect Giacomo Frizzoni. The inauguration took place - as the inscription in the atrium recalls - on April 30, 1876. Thus, the second Protestant place of worship in Lombardy was born, second only to Milan. At the laying of the last stone, the Reformed Community of Bergamo was just sixty-nine years old. It was officially founded during the Napoleonic era (1807) by a group of Protestant merchants and entrepreneurs, mostly of Swiss origin, like most of the Reformed settled in the city. The most prominent among them were also the financiers of the Temple, through land or monetary donations. This includes the Frizzoni family, who offered the plot of land on which the building now stands; old prints and paintings show that originally, the building was surrounded by meadows and small woods, all owned by Palazzo Frizzoni.
The style of the Temple is Neorenaissance with strong references to the Romanesque and the work of Boniforte Solari (15th century) in the clean lines of the architecture and the use of materials typical of Lombard tradition: terracotta for the walls and stone for the sculptural elements. The façade is gabled, decorated with arches, pilasters, and a subtle alternation of brick-colored shades. The entrance is in the center of the lower span and is surmounted by round arches, as are the two side windows. The standout features include the Christ with angels in the lunette and the beautiful rose window in the upper span. Inside, there is a wooden-stone pulpit, an exquisite marble baptismal font, and a Lingiardi organ from Pavia, placed on the internal gallery overlooking the entrance. The apse is adorned with three polychrome stained glass windows representing the risen Jesus Christ and the apostles Paul and John.
The Temple is managed by the Protestant community of Bergamo as part of the Protestant Cultural Center, along with the Archive and the Girolamo Zanchi Library, located on Via Tasso.
