The church of San Giovanni in Villa (in German St. Johann im Dorf) is a small church in Bolzano in late Romanesque style with Gothic elements, consecrated in the 12th century, with its present architecture and frescoes dating from the 14th century.
What to see
The interior of the church is covered with numerous frescoes of the 14th century, made in three different phases, with northern and Mediterranean Giottesque influences. Among the depictions are Christ in the Mandorla, the apostles and scenes from the life of Mary, of Saint John the Baptist and of Saint John the Evangelist. Built in Romanesque style, the structure was renovated in the 14th century with some Gothic elements, and the last intervention dates from the 17th century.
The church stands in the historic Bolzano district of Dorf-Villa, north of the centre and surrounded by vineyards, and is first named in 1180, when it was consecrated by Bishop Salomon of Trent, in the so-called Bozner Chronik. The area is sometimes presented as already inhabited in Roman times and in any case in the early Middle Ages. San Giovanni in Villa is older than the cathedral and, until the latter was built, was the centre of the Christian community.
Visiting
The church is in the Dorf-Villa district, north of the centre of Bolzano, among the vineyards; opening hours and access to the interior should be checked, because the sources consulted do not give them.
Our editors' tip
If you manage to get in, look at the 14th-century cycle that mixes northern and Giottesque influences; the painter called the Second Master of San Giovanni in Villa, to whom the frescoes of the church of San Vigilio al Virgolo are attributed, takes his name from this church.
