Chiesa di San Giacomo Maggiore

via XX Settembre, 3 - 15066 Gavi (AL)
Tel. +39 0143 642.700
https://www.comune.gavi.al.it/it-it/vivere-il-comune/cosa-vedere/parrocchiale-di-san-giacomo-5873-1-c65eb6a23ac8c05fc00ca19c204ee35f

The Church of S. Giacomo, built around 1165, is one of the greatest examples of Romanesque architecture in the Alessandria area, despite the Baroque additions of the 17th and 18th century. The sloping stone facade is well preserved; there is the portal with its deep splay and the oculus; the top part is adorned with a two-light window and a fastigium with projecting hanging arches. The layout of the church is of the basilica type with three naves, monolithic columns that give way to round arches that support the vault, of baroque construction. The nave, where an octagonal tiburium rises above the last span, leads into a deep apse, at the side of which are two smaller apses, dug out of the thickness of the wall. The sculptural apparatus is of the highest quality. Of particular note, for the elevated plastic quality, is the frieze above the doorway on the theme of the Last Supper; inside the church, there are a number of important examples of figured capitals.