Santo Stefano Church

Santo Stefano Church (St. Stephen): A Baroque Gem in Menaggio

The parish church of Santo Stefano (St. Stephen) stands in the heart of Menaggio, once a key stop along the ancient Royal Road, just a stone’s throw from the shores of Lake Como. Construction began in 1618 upon the foundations of earlier Romanesque structures; during this process, the church’s orientation was famously reversed, turning the facade to face the lake. The building was expanded into a spacious layout featuring three naves and six side chapels. These extensive works were made possible through the generous patronage of the wealthy Calvi family, a prominent local lineage of Menaggio.

The paintings and frescoes in Santo Stefano Church

The interior frescoes are the work of Luigi Tagliaferri (1841-1927), a prolific artist from a renowned family of painters in the Lecco region. The church once housed a masterpiece by Bernardino Luini (1481-1532) depicting The Madonna with Child and an Angel. In a remarkable historical exchange, the painting was given to the Austrian Governor Carlo Firmian in return for the construction of the road connecting Tremezzo to Menaggio. Today, while the original is displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris, a beautiful copy remains on view in the Chapel of the Rosary.

Santo Stefano Church: The Interior and the Bell Tower

Visitors can admire four exquisitely crafted 17th-century wood-inlaid confessionals, likely the work of the master woodworker Maggi. Other notable treasures include a silver processional cross dating back to 1539 and several significant paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries. The square bell tower, topped with a striking copper-covered dome, was added in the 19th century. Its five bells were cast by the prestigious Giorgio Pruneri Company in 1901 and are widely considered to be the finest concert in C Major on all of Lake Como.