Dairago
The history of the Dairago Pleban Church
Hi everyone! Today I will talk about the Dairago Pleban Church, an ancient church of the Archdiocese of Milan and of the Province of the Duchy of Milan with Dairago as its capital. The church was dedicated to Saint Genesius, martyr of Dairago, and its territory extended over 172 square kilometers.
The origins of the Pleban Church
The Dairago Pleban Church was mentioned in early sources starting from the year 1000, referring to the presence of a priest in charge of it with the title of "praepositus" (provost). In the 13th century, Goffredo da Bussero, author of "Liber notitiae sanctorum Mediolani," provided us with schematic census data: the Dairago Pleban Church included the municipalities of Arconate, Buscate, Busto Garolfo, Castano Primo, Cuggiono, Inveruno, Furato, Lonate Pozzolo, Sant'Antonino, Tornavento, Magnago, Bienate, Nosate, Robecchetto con Induno, Malvaglio, Turbigo, Vanzaghello, Villa Cortese, and Borsano.
The period of the 17th and 18th centuries: the end of the civil pleban churches
With the Renaissance, the Pleban Church also took on a civil administrative function as a local division of the Province of the Duchy of Milan. After the Council of Trent, the vicarial tradition also spread and operated on behalf of the archbishop.
From a civil standpoint, the administrative Pleban Church was the subject of an Enlightenment reform experiment by Giuseppe II of Austria-Lorraine, who included it in the newly established Province of Gallarate in 1786, a division canceled after only five years by the more conservative brother Leopold II of Austria-Lorraine. The Pleban Church was then suppressed in 1797 following Napoleon's invasion and the subsequent introduction of a modern district centered on Cuggiono in a proposed Varesian province, but the story was even more ephemeral than the previous one.
The abolition of the ecclesiastical Pleban Church
In 1972, with the diocesan synod convened by Cardinal Giovanni Colombo, Archbishop of Milan, the Pleban Church structure, to which Furato had been added, was abolished. Today, the Dairago Pleban Church is reduced to a parish, but retains some privileges such as the right to appoint its own canons and to provide holy water or blessed oils for all the churches included in the former Pleban Church.
The main church of the Pleban Church
The prepositurale church of Dairago is dedicated to Genesius of Rome. During excavations carried out in 1997 inside the church, the remains of the ancient Romanesque architecture church were found, of which the column that supports the modern baptismal font is still in use. From the excavations, several reconstructions in medieval times were also identified. In 1878, the church was rebuilt, with the enlargement of the previous structure, and flanked by a new bell tower built in 1892.
The interior of the church
The interior of the church preserves the crucifix altar (1785) and a neorenaissance organ made by Pietro Bernasconi in 1882.
Conclusion
The Dairago Pleban Church has a very interesting and fascinating history. Today, the old Pleban Church is reduced to a parish, but still retains some privileges such as the title of canon for resident priests and the right to appoint its own canons. The prepositurale church of Dairago is a place of great historical and cultural importance, with its Romanesque architecture and its neorenaissance organ. If you are looking for a place to visit and learn about the history of the church and the Pleban Church, I recommend visiting Dairago.
