Description of the attraction
Santa Maria Maggiore is a 15th century church in the resort town of Sirmione on Lake Garda, built on the site of the former Lombard temple of San Martino in Castro. Located in the heart of medieval Sirmione, this late Gothic parish church is one of the finest examples of local architecture from that period.
Inside, the one-nave temple, divided by three arcades, is decorated with old frescoes, paintings and terracotta figurines. Here, in the apse, there is a 15th century statue of the Madonna delle Neve and a wooden statue of the Madonna on the Throne, made in our time. Of particular note are the painting depicting the Last Supper by an artist of the Venetian school and the 16th-century Crucifix attributed to Brusasorcha. Also noteworthy are the wooden choirs, the elegant construction of the apse of the church, five altars and its outer buttresses. The main entrance consists of a covered gallery with five arches, which was once part of the nearby cemetery. One of the milestones, standing to the right of the facade, may have belonged to the very temple of San Martino in Castro - it is much older than the church. The bell tower, towering nearby, according to legend, was built from one of the towers of the Scaliger Castle. The church itself is located near this powerful medieval fortress, which has become one of the main tourist attractions in Sirmione. Santa Maria Maggiore is distinguished by its distinctive features and sophistication of the decorations.
