collegiate church of Saint Stephen

The collegiate church of Santo Stefano stands in the heart of Vimercate’s old town. Its massive Romanesque bell tower rises above the square named for Saint Stephen, the town’s patron. The building’s earliest parts date from the tenth century, though most of the façade took shape in the following century. A three-apsed eastern section was added soon after, and the entrance portal was inserted at the end of the sixteenth century. A statue of the Madonna and Child, flanked by Saints Stephen and a warrior, crowns the façade. The tower houses eight bells cast in Verona, tuned to B flat. Inside, the church spreads across three naves supported by sturdy pillars. The high altar was completed in 1807, followed by a carved wooden pulpit and choir loft. Behind the altar a large fresco shows scenes from the Passion of Saint Stephen, including his famous stoning. The sacristy preserves frescos from the early fourteenth century, and beneath the sanctuary a small Baroque crypt can be seen. Recent restorations have uncovered more fifteenth-century wall paintings that had been whitewashed centuries ago. The square outside offers a quiet place to stand and look up at the tower. The eastern side of the church opens onto the same piazza, letting daylight fall across the apses. Visitors can walk around the building to admire its different building phases. Inside, the mix of medieval frescos, Baroque details and later furnishings tells a long story in stone and colour.