SANT ABBONDIO CHURCH IN FULLSCREEN QTVR
by Michelle Bienias
Lugano, Switzerland is a quaint little place, a little otherworldly at times, particularly from the viewpoint of one arriving from Canada, as I had. One of its many charms is its mass of little villages that change names several times within a 30-minute walk. You’re still in the greater city of Lugano, but one minute you’re in Montagnola – a village of a few thousand, which itself is composed of several smaller neighbourhoods, all with proper names mind you and whose residents will eagerly point this out – and half a block down the road you’re in Gentilino. Sometimes there are readily apparent signs marking out these delineations; other times not.
click here to view Sant Abbondio Church in fullscreen
A few years ago I had the good fortune to reside in Montagnola for a spell and would often take an evening stroll down the hill to Sant’ Abbondio church, resplendent on its perch at the end of a lane of cypress trees on impeccably groomed grounds and beautifully lit at night. It was always comforting to hear its bells tolls on the hour, a sound I could often hear from my residence just up the road. I never saw another soul there in the evenings, even though there are a couple Swiss boarding schools nearby chock-full of European and American teens. I’m sure it was well attended for Sunday morning mass. Across the road from the church is S. Abbondio cemetery. Again, I found it quaint. It’s a rather small and intricate cemetery, laid out over tiered grounds and densely populated with above-ground tombs and many shrines and mausoleums. One of the most famous is that of Nobel Prize-winning German author Herman Hesse, who lived out his last decades just up the hill in Montagnola, where a museum devoted to his work is now located. It’s definitely worth a visit, especially if one is in the area to see the church and the Herman Hesse Museum. Related Links:
- Arounder Lugano.
- Alberto Veronese's QTVR Movie.
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