Jun 16, 2022

GENOA: THE MYSTERIOUS CHESSBOARD...

The Cathedral of San Lorenzo is a majestic building in Genoa's historic center that welcomes you to its namesake square with charming Gothic portals and the black-and-white banded facing, a symbol of Genoese nobility in the Middle Ages. A Catholic place of worship in the city of Genoa, it was consecrated in 1118 in its most basic form, with a single altar and a small surrounding area, but was later expanded in the years to come until its completion in 1522.

In contrast, the well-known white marble stylophoric lions that greet tourists and worshippers on either side of the cathedral were added, guarding the sacred space, in 1840 by sculptor Carlo Rubatto during a rearrangement of the neighborhood and the lowering of the churchyard.

[Buy Genoa Helmet]

Of the many peculiarities of decoration on the outside of it, perhaps the most curious is a mysterious red and white checkerboard inserted on the left side almost 4 meters high. There are several hypotheses about its presence, each very curious....

The first, in correlation with other symbols in the Cathedral, leads directly back to the Knights Templar. Indeed, it seems that they imported the game of chess from the East, attributing spiritual meanings to it as well: The sharp alternation of colors on the chessboard, a motif also present in their battle standard, manifests the eternal struggle between good and evil; The pawns, on the other hand, represent man, as an individual, fighting step by step, overcoming obstacles and problems.

The second, attributes the chessboard to the highly skilled 1300s merchant Megollo Lercari, a chess enthusiast.

Megollo is said to have been trading with Trebizond on the Black Sea, and on one such occasion, he challenged Andronicus, the court favorite of his friend Emperor Alexius II. Andronicus, with his haughty and ill-mannered character, disrespected Megollo and his Genoa, insulting him for the entire match. The merchant, furious, organized revenge by returning to Trebizond armed with two galleys to raid and cut off the noses of the emperor's subjects until he obtained new territories and rights for business.

[Buy Genoa Helmet]

Finally, the last curious story, sees Genovese and Pisans of the time rivals in battle numerous times. One of these, was fought directly on the chessboard by the two Doges of the cities. The winning Genoese Doge, as a sign of thanks and victory, had the chessboard placed on the cathedral where we still see it today.