Church of Santa Maria foris portas
The church of Santa Maria foris portas is located in the municipiality of Castelseprio in the province of Varese, on a hill two hundred meters away from the walls of an ancient castrum, hence the appellation in medieval Latin. It is in fact integrant part of the UNESCO Archaeological Park and Antiquarium Site of Castelseprio. It is the most ancient building in Castelseprio, the only one that survived the distruction and abandonment of the ancient fortified town, thanks to the devotion attached to the place of worship. The main reason of interest is the very original and well-conserved cycle of frescoes that embellishes the apse space, among the most important testimonies of Europian wall painting in the early Middle Ages. It is part of the serial site "Lombards in Italy: places of power", which comprehends seven sites rich in architectural, pictorial and sculptural evidence of Lombard art, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in June 2011.