Minor Basilica of San Nicolò, Lecco
The Minor Basilica of Saint Nicholas in Lecco is the town’s main Catholic church. It sits on the old city walls near the lake and is dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors. Its most striking feature is the very tall bell tower, which rises to 96 meters and is one of Italy’s highest.
The church began as a small building in the 11th century and grew in the 15th century. It reached a grand Baroque style in the 17th century. From 1831 to 1862, architect Giuseppe Bovara redesigned the façade and decorations in Neoclassical style. A Neo-Gothic bell tower was added in 1902–1904 by Giovanni Ceruti, built on the site of a medieval turret. The double staircase entrance was added in 1928, and the church was raised to a Basilica in 1942.
The façade facing the lake is Neoclassical, with a triangular pediment supported by six Corinthian columns. Inside, the basilica has three naves with side chapels. The central nave has a barrel vault and ends in a semicircular apse with an ambulatory and a dome showing frescoes of Our Lady of the Rosary’s apparition to Pope Pius V, recalling the 1571 Lepanto victory. Many frescoes on the walls and vaults date from the 19th and 20th centuries, while the Baptistery Chapel is the church’s oldest original part, dating to the 12th century. Notable works include Casimiro Radice’s Life of Jesus (1881) and Luigi Morgari’s Glory of the Madonna of the Rosary (1925).
Next to the Basilica is the Parish Oratory of St. Louis, still used by families and children, which also houses a chapel to the Immaculate Madonna.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:55 (CET).