Church Santa Maria Gualtieri
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| Santa Maria Gualtieri | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Catholic |
| Province | Pavia |
| Year consecrated | 989 |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Pavia, Italy |
 Interactive map of Santa Maria Gualtieri | |
| Coordinates | 45°11′9.672″N 9°9′18.108″E / 45.18602000°N 9.15503000°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Church |
| Style | Romanesque |
| Completed | 11th century |
The church Santa Maria Gualtieri is a deconsecrated church in Pavia now used for exhibitions, concerts and conferences.
The church was founded in 989 by Walterius (in Italian Gualtiero), son of Wualpertus, judge of the Royal Palace of Pavia, missus dominicus and brother of the Countess Rotruda, who had the church built near his own home, dedicating it to Santa Maria. Walterius himself endowed the church with rich possessions, including the hospital of San Giacomo della Cerreta in Belgioioso. The church, which overlooks Piazza Vittoria, the ancient Roman forum of the city, was rebuilt in the second half of the 11th century and was consecrated by Pope Urban II in 1096, when the pontiff visited Pavia.[1] In 1182 the church was governed by a canonical college formed by a provost and seven canons.[2] In 1250 the church was included among the parishes of Porta Laudensis, while the apostolic visitation of 1576 informs us that at that date the clergy consisted of eight priests and the parish was populated by 300 communion souls, which rose, in 1769, to seven priests and seven clerics. Even at the end of the eighteenth century, the rectory still possessed discrete land properties, concentrated above all in the Pavia area, equivalent to 76.5 hectares. The population of the parish rose in 1780 to 993 communion souls.[3]
In 1788, on the basis of the reorganization plan of the urban parishes desired by Emperor Joseph II, the church was suppressed and united with the parish of Saints Gervasio and Protasio. The building was definitively deconsecrated in 1798 and sold to private individuals, who transformed it into homes and shops.[4] The church was purchased by the municipality of Pavia in the 1960s and was the subject of archaeological investigations in 1975. After a long restoration, in 1991, the church was reopened.[5]
