Pavia, Santa Maria in Betlem

It is a place of worship dating back to the 12th century, which has been a pilgrimage site due to its reference to the Holy Places. The façade ends with a tangle of small arches and a series of blind mullioned windows with two and three lights, which follow the hut-shaped pattern. The use of brick is combined to that of stone. At the portal, sandstone high-reliefs are placed, depicting imaginary figures, and, above it, sculpted decorations with the shape of tangled vine, animals and dragons, which immediately remind of the reliefs in the church of San Michele. Inside, a beautiful statue of the Madonna of the Star refers to a popular legend. Beside the church, a building with a colonnade reminds of the “hospitale” (the hospital), which welcomed the pilgrims passing through.