Saints Zenone and Martino church

Reaching the historical Centre of Lazise, near “Porta San Zeno”, you can find the church of St. Zenone and St. Martino.Its white facade and the decorated columns definitely remind a temple of Ancient Rome. Another peculiarity of this church is the tall white bell tower, square-shaped, with the clock below.

The first documents attesting the existence of this church date back to the 12th century. The church was built inside the fortress of Lazise as a chapel of the St. Martin’s parish church, located outside the walls. An important event concerning the old church was the attack by Arrigo di Brunswick and his troops in 1528, that set Lazise on fire, destroying the St. Martin’s parish church, which was abandoned from that moment.

The first documents attesting the existence of this church date back to the 12th century. The church was built inside the fortress of Lazise as a chapel of the St. Martin’s parish church, located outside the walls. An important event concerning the old church was the attack by Arrigo di Brunswick and his troops in 1528, that set Lazise on fire, destroying the St. Martin’s parish church, which was abandoned from that moment.

In 1820, the works resumed, but they were stopped again due to a lack of funds and finally finished in 1840/1841 thanks to the help of the inhabitants.

The church has a neoclassical style, as evidenced by the columns supporting the entablature that are finished with a decoration in Corinthian style. Inside the building you will see two side altars belonging to the previous church, with the idea of connecting the old church with the new one. In addition, you will find some pieces of art such as the Pala of St. Martin, the Via Crucis, the Pala of Sacred Heart and the Christ.

The stairs that you can see outside the church have been added in the late 19th century in order to level the base of the church. The three statues located outside of the facade symbolize St. Martin, St. Fermo and St. Rustico. This church has a severe aspect as it doesn’t show special architectural elements, but despite this it is very appreciated by visitors and requested for celebrating weddings.