Stories of Saints Liberata and Faustina

Taken at the end of the 19th century from the Monastery of Santa Margherita without the walls of Como, the frescoes tell the story of Liberata and Faustina, daughters of a nobleman from Piacenza, who wanted to marry them off against their will. They fled from Rocca Genesina in the Apennines and became nuns in Como (6th century). Their relics are on the high altar of the Cathedral where their cult is still alive. The paintings
make use of many innovations introduced by Giotto. Some ambiguities in the perspective of the walls in the first fresco do not compromise the spatial arrangement of the figures. The ornamentation of the clothes, more suited to priestly vestments than to women’s clothing, tends to render the scene more holy. The journey of the saints, accompanied by the Priest Marcello, across the Po is guided by an angel and marked by realistic motifs. Still guided by an angel, the young women, close to the walls of Como, make their way towards a church. They humbly present themselves to the abbess of the monastery, who welcome them. Replete with human kindness, the episode contradicts the tradition that says Liberata and Faustina were the founders of the first monastery. (A.Rovi)