Santa Maria della Passione is a late

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

-style church located in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, Italy.

History

It was initially built in 1496 for the Order of Canons Lateran. The church plan as we see today was based on initial designs of

Giovanni Antonio Amadeo 260px, Amadeo, Milan Cathedral Giovanni Antonio Amadeo (c. 1447 – 27 or 28 August 1522) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor of the Early Renaissance, architect, and engineer. He dominated late fifteenth-century Lombard architecture and sculptu ...

, but realized as a centralized

greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Jesus, Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

design by Giovanni Battagio. The architect Cristoforo Lombardo designed the large dome to replace the prior crumbling structure. By the late 16th century, under the design of Martino Bassi, the nave acquired a longer longitudinal axis, conforming with the structure of post-

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

churches. The facade has a series of panels depicting the

Passion of Christ The Passion (from latin language, Latin , "to suffer, bear, endure") is the short final period before the death of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, described in the four canonical gospels. It is commemorated in Christianity every year during Holy ...

. The late Baroque architect and sculptor Giuseppe Rusnati designed the ornate facade.

Interior

The interior and the canon's rooms contain a cycle of monumental frescoes by Ambrogio Bergognone completed in around 1510–1515. They depict ''Christ and the Apostles'' in the church, and ''Saints'' and ''Popes'' in elsewhere. The basilica has two organs: the one on right by the Antegnati Family, the one on left, by Valvassori. The church contains the following canvases: *''St

Charles Borromeo Charles Borromeo (; ; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was an Catholic Church in Italy, Italian Catholic prelate who served as Archdiocese of Milan, Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584. He was made a Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal in 156 ...

Fasting'' (over the main door) by Daniele Crespi. *''Annunciation'' and ''Assumption'' (fourth chapel to left) by Simone Peterzano. *''Last Supper'' by Gaudenzio Ferrari. *''Pieta'' by Bernardino Ferrari. *''Crucifixion'' by Antonio Campi. *''Christ in the Garden'' by Ambrogio Figino. *Frescoes by Ambrogio da Fossano in capitular room. *''Christ on the Column'' by Proccacini and ''Madonna of the Caravaggio'' a fresco attributed to

Bramantino Bartolomeo Suardi ( – ) was an Italian painter and architect, mainly active in his native Milan. Biography He was born in Milan, the son of Alberto Suardi, but his biography remains unclear, and was long complicated by two "Pseudo-Bramantinos" ...

in chapel on the right. *Paintings depicting events mainly relating to the ''Passion of Christ'' by Daniele Crespi on pillars of the cupola: these include a ''Ecce Homo''; a ''Crucifixion''; a ''Dead Christ supported by an Angel''; an ''Angel displays the Sacra Sindone''; a ''Washing of the Feet''; a ''Raising of the Cross''; and ''Descent from the Cross''.Guida artistica di Milano: dintorni e laghi
by Tito Vespasiano Paravicini (1881), page 176. The adjacent monastery now houses the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory, which houses performance areas and thousands of original musical manuscripts.

Sources

*
Milan Tourism Site
* Buildings and structures completed in 1496 Churches completed in the 1490s Maria 15th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Tourist attractions in Milan Renaissance architecture in Milan {{Lombardy-RC-church-stub

History

Interior

See also

Sources