The Tempio Civico della Beata Vergine Incoronata is a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

church in Lodi, Lombardy,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. It is considered one of the masterworks of the Lombard

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

art. The church was designed in 1488 by Giovanni Battagio (a pupil of

Bramante Donato Bramante ( , , ; 1444 – 11 April 1514), born as Donato di Pascuccio d'Antonio and also known as Bramante Lazzari, was an Italian architect and painter. He introduced Renaissance architecture to Milan and the High Renaissance style ...

), continued by Gian Giacomo Dolcebuono and finished by

Giovanni Antonio Amadeo 260px, Amadeo, Milan Cathedral 260px, The Colleoni Chapel in Bergamo. Giovanni Antonio Amadeo (c. 1447 – 27 or 28 August 1522) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor of the Early Renaissance, architect, and engineer. Biography Amadeo was born ...

, and built at expenses of the Lodi commune, whence the denomination "Civico" ("Municipal"), on the site previously occupied by a brothel.

Overview

The church is located in a very narrow street near the ''Piazza della Vittoria'', Lodi's most famous square. It has an octagonal plan, surmounted by a dome with the same shape with a lantern at the top. Externally, running around the octagonal tambour is a balustrade with small columns and pinnacles. The bell tower was built in 1503, while the façade was completed only in 1879 by Alfonsino Truzzi. The interior is characterized by sumptuous decorations in gold; in the upper sector is an arcaded

matronaeum A triforium is an interior gallery, opening onto the tall central space of a building at an upper level. In a church, it opens onto the nave from above the side aisles; it may occur at the level of the clerestory windows, or it may be located ...

with blue and golden columns. It also houses a large gallery of artworks from the late 15th to the early 19th century, executed by the major artists working in Lodi. There are four panels by Bergognone, including an ''Annunciation'' and a ''Presentation at the Temple'', reproducing the church's interior of the time. The Berinzaghi Polyptych and an ''Incoronation of the Virgin'' are by brothers Martino and

Albertino Piazza Alberto or Albertino Piazza (1490–1528) was an Italian painter. He was born and died in Lodi, Lombardy. His elder brother Martino was also a painter. References External links * 1490 births 1528 deaths 16th-century Italian painters ...

. Finally,

Callisto Piazza 280px, ''Beheading of the Baptist'', Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice Callisto Piazza (1500–1561) was an Italian painter. Biography Callisto, a member of the Piazza family of painters, was born in Lodi, Lombardy. In 1523 he was working in ...

and Stefano Maria Legnani executed here some of his greatest works. Tempio dell'Incoronata Interno

Annexed is a Museum of the Incoronata's Treasure.

Sources

*{{cite book, first= Vittorio , last=Bottini , author2=Alessandro Caretta , author3=Luigi Samarati , title=Lodi - Guida artistica illustrata , location=Lodi , publisher=Edizioni Lodigraf , year=1979 15th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches in Lodi, Lombardy Renaissance architecture in Lombardy Octagonal churches in Italy