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Church of Santa Maria Incoronata
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Show an other treasure of art and history in Milan:
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 Mostly represented styles: Gothic
The most obvious peculiarity of the Church di Santa Maria Incoronata is the fact of being double. In fact, the facade is composed of two symmetrical halves.
The current complex includes the church, two cloisters, the Humanities Library (not depicted in the photos on this page) and what remains of the convent.
The history of the church is very complex and not yet fully clarified. It begins in 1445, when the Augustinian fathers give to the Lombard Congregation of San Marco of Observance of the Augustinians the ancient Church of the Blessed Virgin of Garegnano with the adjoining convent. The Church of Garegnano, already at that time entitled to Our Crowned Lady, was indeed very small, and corresponded to the current second and third side chapel of the left side.
In the middle of the fifteenth century the renovation of the Church of Garegnano began and, simultaneously, at the instigation of Bianca Maria Visconti, the construction of a new church next to it on the south side, the Church of San Nicola da Tolentino.
The merger of the Church of Garegnano with the new Church of San Nicola da Tolentino began in 1468, following a major concession of 5000 florins to the friars of the Incoronata by Galeazzo Maria Sforza. The new church that was to be born from the merger, around 1485, was so owning a square planimetry.
Church history also includes the construction of three cloisters and a refectory. Unfortunately, only one of the cloisters survived.
It is also preserved even the Augustinian Library, located on the first floor and one of the few examples come to us of painted library. It was rediscovered as such only after the last major restoration works, which began in the mid-80s.
The church was built in Gothic style, but its appearance was significantly modified in 1654 and in 1827. In 1900, under the direction of F. Pellegrini restorations were made that restored the church it to the original project.
The church contains many treasures of art and history.
In the first chapel on the left there is in particular the fresco of the Borgognone (therefore 'Chapel of the Bergognone') of the second half of the fifteenth century "The mystic winepress", in which the cross takes the form of a press and the blood from the wounds of Christ descends into a goblet as if it was wine.
The wall paintings of the seventeenth century in the right aps include a fine crucifix, which unfortunately has lost his arms.
The Church di Santa Maria Incoronata houses numerous tombs, tombstones and memorials of characters belonging to important families of Milan.
Unfortunately only few traces of ancient decoration of the church remain, like the tear of fresco on the pillar of the nave, depicting two saints: a full-length, probably St. Catherine of Alexandria; and the other depicting St. Clare of Montefalco.
Further pictures on the Google+ page
If you are interested in a guided tour of this monument send an email!
Categories: Churches / Religious buildings
Corso Garibaldi 116, 20121 Milano |
Further pictures of the Church of Santa Maria Incoronata in the section Photography |