Como's Romanesque gem, with a choir unique in Italy
Photo: Azzedine Rouichi
Why go
Of Como's old churches, San Fedele is the one that architects travel for. Its plan joins three naves to two opposed chapels with an ambulatory, and the closest comparisons are in the Rhineland, at the Palatine Chapel in Aachen and a church in Cologne. The building replaced an earlier church of Saint Euphemia, and it took its present name in 964, when Bishop Gualdone brought the relics of the martyr Fedele (Fidelis) to Como.
The square outside is part of the visit. Piazza San Fedele was already a meeting place in Roman times, near the crossing of the main streets, and later served as the town's food market. Today Renaissance houses with timber overhangs face the church, and a medieval portal carved with dragons waits on the north side. Allow about half an hour inside, then continue to the Cathedral or Porta Torre on foot.
Gallery
Photo: Azzedine Rouichi
Photo: Azzedine Rouichi
Photo: Azzedine Rouichi
Photo: Maurizio Moro5153 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Highlights
The central apse is polygonal and was originally flanked by two small apses; one was demolished in 1773 to make room for the sacristy. The outer apse gallery is probably a 13th-century addition, and the octagonal crossing tower was raised in 1805. Walk round the outside before you enter to read the layers of building.
On the north side, the portal carries medieval reliefs dated between the late 11th and the mid-12th century, and scholars still debate their meaning. One upright shows two dragons contesting prey and probably comes from the portal of the earlier church of Sant'Eufemia. The apse and portal were cleaned and restored in 2004–2005.
Tradition says Fedele, a Roman soldier, was martyred between 303 and 305. His bones were placed in a marble ark under the high altar on 4 June 1365, and in 1964, a thousand years after the translation, they were put in a gilded bronze urn. The Church of Como celebrates him on 29 October.
Look for the 1504 triptych by Giovanni Andrea De Magistris, the 1623 apse fresco by Isidoro Bianchi in the Chapel of the Crucifix, with stucco by Diego Carloni and Passion scenes by Carlo Innocenzo Carloni, and the chapel of Blessed Innocent XI, the Como-born pope Benedetto Odescalchi. A lion-shaped holy-water stoup comes from Sant'Eufemia.
The neo-Romanesque façade was rebuilt in the early 1900s, with a restoration by Antonio Giussani in 1914, over an earlier façade of 1509 whose rose window survives. The bell tower, rebuilt in 1271, began to lean and was taken down and rebuilt between 1903 and 1907.
Practical information
A cultural-heritage directory lists the basilica as open daily from 8:00 to 19:00 and advises contacting the church to confirm (tel. +39 031 267295). It is a working parish church: Mass times are published by the parish, and visits are not possible during services. The parish's own pages do not publish visiting hours.
Free entry. Donations are welcome in a parish church, but no fee is listed.
Information correct as of November 2026. Hours and fees can change: check on the day before you go.
Getting there
About 5 minutes on foot from the Cathedral through the pedestrian old town; about 10 minutes from the lakefront at Piazza Cavour.
Trenord train to Como San Giovanni (about 40 minutes from Milano Porta Garibaldi) or to Como Nord Lago (about 1 hour from Milano Cadorna), then about 10 to 15 minutes on foot into the walled city.
Boats from the lake towns arrive at Como's lakefront. Navigazione Laghi announced on its site that the arrival and departure piers in Como change from 3 November 2026, so check the current pier before you go.
The walled city is largely pedestrian. Leave the car in a car park outside the walls and walk in.
Insider tips
The Romanesque choir is easier to read from outside than from the pews. Circle the building before going in, then look for the Dragon portal on the north side, which most visitors miss.
San Fedele is an active parish church and visitors cannot walk around during services. Check the parish for Mass times, and dress as you would for any church, with shoulders and knees covered.
The Cathedral, the Broletto and Via Vittorio Emanuele II are minutes away. San Fedele makes a quiet counterpoint to the busier Piazza Duomo, and the walled city is best done on foot.
Look up at the Renaissance houses with timber overhangs around Piazza San Fedele. The square was the town's food market, and its edge is a pleasant place to pause before walking on to Porta Torre.
Nearby
From the Lake Como City Guide, each with its own Holiplanet page. Straight-line distances.
Restaurant · 0.5 km
Apulian family recipes and fresh fish, served in the centre of Como a few steps from the lake.
Discover more →Restaurant · 1.1 km
A first-floor restaurant with a panoramic terrace right on Lake Como, serving revisited Mediterranean cooking with Lariana traditions.
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A seafood restaurant in an old Como silk mill, where the day's catch meets an open grill and a warm family welcome.
Discover more →Restaurant · 1.8 km
A rooftop restaurant and lounge bar at Hilton Lake Como, open all year with a glass-walled greenhouse and views over the lake.
Discover more →Hotel · 0.4 km
A city-centre hotel on Piazza Cavour, right by the lake boats
View hotel →Hotel · 0.4 km
A three-star hotel in a neoclassical building on Piazza Volta
View hotel →Hotel · 0.5 km
A Liberty-style palazzo on the lakefront in the historic centre of Como
View hotel →Hotel · 0.5 km
A grand Liberty-style palazzo in Como's historic centre
View hotel →All hotels on the Lake Como map → All things to do on the map →
Questions
A heritage directory lists daily 8:00 to 19:00 and advises calling the church to confirm, on +39 031 267295. It is a working parish church, so Mass times apply and visits are not possible during services. The parish publishes the Mass schedule on its own website.
No fee is listed: entry is free, as in most parish churches in Italy. Visitors can leave a donation. Always check on site, since the church can close for services, restoration work or special events.
According to the parish's guide, Fedele was a Roman soldier at the imperial court in Milan, found to be a Christian, who fled towards Como and was martyred at Samolaco between 303 and 305. In 964 Bishop Gualdone brought his remains to Como, and the church of Sant'Eufemia took his name.
The present Romanesque church dates to about 1120, though building began earlier and continued in phases. It replaced a church of Saint Euphemia that probably goes back to the 7th century. The façade was rebuilt in the early 20th century, and the bell tower between 1903 and 1907.
About 15 minutes on foot. Walk north from the station through the old town, past the Cathedral area, to Piazza San Fedele. From Como Nord Lago station or the lakefront it takes about 10 minutes.
