Chiesa di San Giacomo (Church of San Giacomo), Como

The Chiesa di San Giacomo (Church of San Giacomo) is a Catholic place of worship in the city of Como. We do not have precise dates on its foundation and the oldest document that mentions it dates back to 1144. The most plausible hypothesis traces its construction back to the 11th century , in the last years of the episcopate of Rainaldo (died in 1084). This dating would find confirmation both in the particular historical context and in the stylistic comparison with other Catholic religious buildings such as the abbey church of San Giovanni di Vertemate (also founded thanks to Rainaldo) and the basilica of Sant'Abbondio(characterized by the same cylindrical pillars of the nave of the church in Piazza Grimoldi, as well as the same scheme with two bell towers that was once also found in San Giacomo).

Historical and political place, the first assemblies of the Municipality of Como were held inside. In the square in front of the church, which was called broletto Cumano, the current Broletto di Como was built in 1215. The ancient basilica, with a facade aligned with the Broletto, was made up of six bays more than the current extension, most likely constituting the second element of a "double cathedral" of the Como Cathedral.

The original basilica, already a parish church in 1279, was also probably equipped with two bell towers, one of which is the Broletto civic tower.

From the records of a pastoral visit dated 1578, it emerges that the church was in a poor state of conservation, a fact which led to the decision to remodel the building. When the works were completed, a writing by Bishop Feliciano Ninguarda dated 1590 reveals how the Municipality had taken charge of the costs relating to the demolition of both the original facade and the first five spans of the church, thus creating an esplanade which, from that moment on, would which became the property of the Municipality itself.

The pronaos of the original church, already seriously damaged during the struggles which, in the noble era, had seen the historic Como families of Vitani and Rusconi rival each other, became an integral part of some private buildings, which were definitively demolished in 1927.

In the second half of the 17th century, the church underwent numerous renovations: the floor was raised, the columns were transformed into pillars, the central nave was covered by cross vaults , the octagonal lantern of the dome was demolished; at the same time, the lateral apses were closed, thus creating two sacristies. In the same years, new private buildings were erected in the immediate vicinity of the church which blocked the view of the forms of the religious building, especially on the sides and in the apse.

From 1672 the parish and church of San Giacomo were governed for over a century by the Confederation of the oratory of San Filippo Neri. During the Napoleonic secularisations which took place between the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the following century, the church was confiscated. Returning to the Diocese of Como, the church became a subsidiary of the Cathedral and, in 1836, was temporarily transformed into a youth oratory.

At the beginning of the eighth decade of the twentieth century , an important restoration work was necessary to prevent the dome from collapsing. The intervention involved the restoration of the octagonal tiburium, opened by eight oculi in tuff and by some mullioned windows previously closed . During the works, the trusses were also replaced, recovering the four large arches at the base of the lantern.

In December 2021 , thanks to a private donation, new restoration work on the Church started.