Wikipedia
Castelseprio or Castel Seprio was the site of a Roman fort in antiquity, and a significant Lombard town in the early Middle Ages, before being destroyed and abandoned in 1287. It is today preserved as an archaeological park in the modern comune of Castelseprio, near the modern village of the same name. It is in the north of Italy, in the Province of Varese, about 50 km northwest of Milan.
The fame of Castelseprio lies in the Early Medieval frescoes contained in the small Church of ''Santa Maria foris portas ''. These frescoes are of exceptional rarity and artistic significance. Hidden for centuries, the frescoes were only rediscovered in 1944. In 2011, the church - and the castrum with the Torba Tower - became a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of a group of seven inscribed as Longobards in Italy, Places of Power (568-774 A.D.). In 2006, the Italian Ministry of Culture in a submission to UNESCO, said:
Castelseprio is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Varese in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northwest of Milan and about south of Varese, bordering the municipalities of Cairate, Carnago, Gornate-Olona and Lonate Ceppino.
The main centre, formerly known as Vico Seprio (a name still in informal local use) is near the historically significant ruins of the ancient and medieval city of Castelseprio, which are today in an archaeological zone open to the public at the normal hours. The site is most famous for the Byzantinesque frescos in the small Church of Santa Maria foris portas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011.
The modern village of Castelseprio has a population of 1,276 and area of .
Castelseprio may refer to:
- Castelseprio (comune), a comune (municipality) in the Province of Varese in the Italian region Lombardy
- Castelseprio (archaeological park) nearby, the site of a Roman fort in antiquity, and a significant Lombard town in the early Middle Ages with famous frescos