The Shrine of Santa Maria della Steccata is a Greek-cross design

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 ...

church in central

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

, Italy. The name derives from the fence () in the church. A

Nursing Madonna The Nursing Madonna, ''Virgo Lactans'', or Madonna Lactans, is an iconography of the Madonna and Child in which the Blessed Virgin Mary, Virgin Mary is shown breastfeeding the infant Jesus. In Italian it is called the ''Madonna del Latte'' ("Mado ...

is enshrined within, crowned on 27 May 1601 by a Marian devotee, Fray Giacomo di Forli of the

Capuchin order The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. OFMCap) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFMObs, now OFM), the o ...

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

raised the Marian sanctuary to the status of

Basilica minor Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural ...

on 9 February 2008.

History

By 1492, the

Knights of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic Church, Cathol ...

built a small oratory here to house a putatively miraculous icon depicting

Saint John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

. It became associated with a religious confraternity in a neighboring house that had the image of the ''

Madonna and Child In Christian art, a Madonna () is a religious depiction of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a singular form or sometimes accompanied by the Child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word ...

'', mentioned above, on the facade. Rumors of miracles performed by this image led to masses flocking to the site. This required the erection of a picket fence or stockade (''steccato'') around the icon, hence giving the image its name. The Papal bull dated 1 March 1493 by

Pope Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI (, , ; born Roderic Llançol i de Borja; epithet: ''Valentinus'' ("The Valencian"); – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 August 1492 until his death in 1503. Born into t ...

mentions the image by this name. The popularity of the icons led the frescoed icon to be detached from a wall and moved to the oratory, and when that proved too small to accommodate the crowds, the commune of Parma patronized the construction of the church (1521–1539).

Architecture

The architects were

Bernardino Zaccagni Bernardino Zaccagni ( – 1531) was an Italian architect, mainly active in a Renaissance style in Parma. Biography He was born in Parma. Little is known of his training, except that his father, Francesco, was also a builder or architect. He wa ...

and his son, Giovanni Francisco, with modifications by

Gian Francesco d'Agrate Gian is a given name of Italian origin. It is a shortened version of Giovanni, another name of Italian origin. Notable people Notable people whose name is now typically expressed as Gian include: * Gian Paolo Lomazzo, Italian painter * Gian Lor ...

, who also worked on the statuary gracing the roof-line. The dome (1526–1527) is attributed to Agrate, although with the help by

Antonio da Sangallo the Younger Antonio da Sangallo the Younger (12 April 14843 August 1546), also known as Antonio Cordiani, was an Italian architect active during the Renaissance, mainly in Rome and the Papal States. One of his most popular projects that he worked on des ...

. The church was finally consecrated in 1539. The sacristy was rebuilt over the following centuries. The layout is that mainly of 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 ...

'' church with four arms, although the entrance elongates through an arch to form the ''Coro dei Cavallieri''. In the crossing is the majestic dome. Each arm has a half-dome, while between the arms are four corner chapels.

Internal decor

The interior was decorated by prominent artists, both local and foreign to Parma over the following centuries after completion of the building. The tribune has a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

altar in the choir was begun by Mauro Oddi and completed in 1758-1765 by Andrea and Domenico della Meschina. The main altarpiece displays the famous icon inside a gilded frame replete with cherubs and putti and a gilded crown; the ensemble flanked by two King

Solomonic columns The Solomonic column, also called barley-sugar column, is a helical column, characterized by a spiraling twisting shaft like a corkscrew. It is not associated with a specific classical order, although most examples have Corinthian or Composite ...

flanked by two pillars. At the base are two statues, Saint Joseph and King David, sculpted by Francesco and Giovanni Baratta. In the hemicycle above the altar, is a large fresco depicting a ''Coronation of the Virgin with Saints'' (1541), painted by

Michelangelo Anselmi Michelangelo Anselmi ( – ) was an Italian Renaissance-Mannerist painter active mostly in Parma. Biography He was born, apparently in Tuscany, perhaps in Lucca, from a Parmesan family of ancient Langobard origin, known as Anselmi di Card ...

. He also painted the adjacent ceiling fresco depicting the ''Adoration of the Magi''. Behind the altar is a semicircle of wooden choir stalls. In the sacristy and sanctuary, many of the fresco figures and decorations were painted or planned by a young

Parmigianino Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (11 January 150324 August 1540), also known as Francesco Mazzola or, more commonly, as Parmigianino (, , ; "the little one from Parma"), was an Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker active in Florence, Rome, ...

, whilst the church also houses c. 1523 two oil on canvas paintings by him of ''Saint Cecilia'' and ''King David'', both originally intended as organ doors. Other artists include

Bernardino Gatti Bernardino Gatti (c.1495 – 22 February 1576) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance, active mainly in Parma and Cremona. He is also commonly called il Sojaro. He was born in or near Pavia or Cremona. His early apprenticeship is unclear, ...

, who frescoed parts of the ceiling. The Dutch painter

Jan Soens Jan Soens (; – ), also known as Giovanni Sons, was a Dutch painter from 's-Hertogenbosch who mainly worked in Italy. Biography According to Karel van Mander he moved to Antwerp to live with a schoolmaster named Jacob Boon, whereupon he taught ...

painted a ''Holy Family''.

Giambettino Cignaroli Giambettino Cignaroli (Verona, July 4, 1706 – Verona, December 1, 1770) was an Italian painter of the Rococo and early Neoclassicism, Neoclassic period. Biography He was a pupil of Santo Prunato and Antonio Balestra and active mostly in t ...

painted a ''Trinity with Saints Niccolò, Basilius, and Gregory''. A somewhat retrograde mannerist ''Madonna and Bambino, with Saints Joseph & George'' was painted by

Marcantonio Franceschini Marcantonio Franceschini (; 1648 – 24 December 1729) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mostly in his native Bologna. He was the father and teacher of Giacomo Franceschini.''The picture collector's manual'' by James R. Hob ...

in 1718. A mannerist ''Redeemer with St. Anthony of Padua and the Magdalen'' was painted by

Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli (c. 1500–1569) was an Italian painter active in the Mannerist style. Biography Bedoli was born in Parma in a family coming from Viadana in Lombardy. He was a near contemporary of Parmigianino, and after the early deat ...

, based on a commission from 1605 for the price of 60 ducats and 76 soldi. The Parmesan painter Aurelio Barili painted frescoes in 1588. The church contains funeral monuments of Bertrando Rossi, Ottavio Farnese, Sforzino Sforza, and

Adam Albert von Neipperg Adam Albert, Count von Neipperg (8 April 1775 – 22 February 1829) was an Austrian general and statesman. He was the son of a diplomat famous for inventing a letter-copying machine, and the grandson of Count Wilhelm Reinhard von Neipperg. H ...

(by

Lorenzo Bartolini Lorenzo Bartolini (Prato, 7 January 1777 Florence, 20 January 1850) was an Italian sculptor who infused his neoclassicism with a strain of sentimental piety and naturalistic detail, while he drew inspiration from the sculpture of the Florentine ...

Dukes of Parma

In the crypt are the tombs of twenty-six members of the

Farnese family The House of Farnese (, also , ) was an influential family in Renaissance Italy. The titles of Duke of Parma and Piacenza, Duke of Latera and Duke of Castro were held by various members of the family. Its most important members included Po ...

including

Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma Alexander Farnese (, ; 27 August 1545 – 3 December 1592) was an Italian noble and military leader, who was Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro from 1586 to 1592, as well as Governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1578 to 1592. Nephew to Kin ...

and his wife Infanta Maria of Portugal. Also the later (titular) Dukes of Parma and Piacenza (of the

House of Bourbon-Parma The House of Bourbon-Parma () is a cadet branch of the Spanish royal family, whose members once ruled as King of Etruria and as Duke of Parma and Piacenza, Duke of Guastalla, Guastalla, and Duke of Lucca, Lucca. The House descended from the Fre ...

) found here their final resting place. In a niche is a crystal urn containing the heart of

Charles III, Duke of Parma Charles III (; 14 January 1823 – 27 March 1854) was the duke of Parma from 1849 to 1854. He was the son of Duke Charles II of Parma and was educated in Saxony and Vienna. He grew up as a restless young man and traveled extensively while he w ...

. On 28 August 2010, the body of

Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma and Piacenza (8 April 1930 – 18 August 2010) was the head of the ducal House of Bourbon-Parma from 1977 until his death. Carlos Hugo was a Carlist claimant to the throne of Spain and sought to change the political dir ...

, former Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma between 1977 and 2010 and ex-husband of

Princess Irene of the Netherlands Princess Irene of the Netherlands (Irene Emma Elisabeth; born 5 August 1939) is the second child of Juliana of the Netherlands, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, Prince Bernhard. In 1964, she converted to ...

, was interred in the crypt.Bisschop Bär concelebreert in uitvaartmis Carlos Hugo
- website

Rooms-Katholiek Kerkgenootschap Rooms-Katholiek Kerkgenootschap (abbr. RKK: English: ''Roman Catholic Church Association'') was a special broadcaster on the Netherlands Public Broadcasting system, which was allowed to broadcast on radio and television because of their religious ...

''(in

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

)'' On 29 September 2012, Carlos Hugo's granddaughter, Princess Luisa of Bourbon-Parma, second child of

Carlos, Duke of Parma Prince Carlos, Duke of Parma and Piacenza (Carlos Xavier Bernardo Sixto Marie; born 27 January 1970), is the current (since 2010) Head of the Royal and Ducal House of Bourbon-Parma, who ruled the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza from 1748 to 1802 an ...

, was baptised at the church. In 2021 and 2022,

Princess María Teresa of Bourbon-Parma Princess Marie-Thérèse of Bourbon-Parma (Spanish: ''María Teresa de Borbón-Parma'', French: ''Marie-Thérèse de Bourbon-Parme''; 28 July 1933 – 26 March 2020) was a French-Spanish political activist and academic. She was a member of t ...

and

Princess Cécile Marie of Bourbon-Parma Princess Cécile Marie Antoinette Madeleine Jeanne Agnès Françoise of Bourbon-Parma, Countess of Poblet (Spanish: ''Cecilia María de Borbón-Parma'', French: ''Cécile Marie de Bourbon-Parme''; 12 April 1935 – 1 September 2021) was a French ...

were buried there, respectively.

Burials

House of Farnese

* Duke Ottavio I Farnese (1524–1586), second

Duke of Parma and Piacenza The Duke of Parma and Piacenza () was the ruler of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, a historical state of Northern Italy. It was created by Pope Paul III (Alessandro Farnese) for his son Pier Luigi Farnese. It existed between 1545 and 1802 ...

; * Duke Alexander I Farnese (1545–1592), third

; * Infanta Maria of Portugal (1538–1577), wife of Alexander Farnese, Crown Princess consort of Parma and Piacenza; * Princess Margherita Farnese (1567–1643), daughter of Alexander I Farnese, Princess of Parma and Piacenza; Hereditary Princess of Mantua by marriage; * Duke Ranuccio I Farnese (1569–1622), fourth

; * Princess Margherita Aldobrandini (1588–1646), wife of Ranuccio I Farnese, Duchess consort of Parma and Piacenza; * Duke Odoardo I Farnese (1612–1646), fifth

; * Princess Margherita de' Medici of Tuscany (1612–1679), wife of Odoardo I Farnese, Duchess consort of Parma and Piacenza; * Duke Ranuccio II Farnese (1630–1694), sixth

; *

Princess Margaret Yolande of Savoy Margaret Yolande of Savoy (15 November 1635 – 29 April 1663) was Princess of Savoy from birth and later Duchess consort of Parma. A proposed bride for her first cousin Louis XIV of France, she later married Ranuccio Farnese, son of the late ...

(1635–1663), first wife of Ranuccio II Farnese, Duchess consort of Parma and Piacenza; * Princess Isabella d'Este of Modena (1635–1666), second wife of Ranuccio II Farnese, Duchess consort of Parma and Piacenza; * Princess Maria d'Este of Modena (1644–1684), third wife of Ranuccio II Farnese, Duchess consort of Parma and Piacenza; * Prince Pietro Farnese (1639–1677), son of Odoardo I Farnese, Prince of Parma and Piacenza; * Princess Margherita Maria Farnese (1664–1718), daughter of Ranuccio II Farnese, Princess of Parma and Piacenza; Duchess consort of Modena and Reggio by marriage; * Prince Odoardo Farnese (1666–1693), son of Ranuccio II Farnese, Crown Prince of Parma and Piacenza; *

Countess Palatine Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg (5 July 1670 – 15 September 1748) was Duchess of Parma from 1695 to 1727 by marriage to Francesco, Duke of Parma. She served as Regent of the Duchy of Parma for her grandson Charles of Spain between 1731 and 1735 ...

(1670–1748), wife of Crown Prince Odoardo Farnese, Crown Princess consort of Parma and Piacenza; she remarried Duke Francesco I Farnese, Duchess consort of Parma and Piacenza; * Prince Alexander Ignazio Farnese (1691–1693), son of Crown Prince Odoardo Farnese, Prince of Parma and Piacenza; * Princess Vittoria Farnese (1672–1672), daughter of Ranuccio II Farnese, Princess of Parma and Piacenza; * Princess Caterina Farnese (1672–1672), daughter of Ranuccio II Farnese and twin of Vittoria Farnese, Princess of Parma and Piacenza; * Princess Eleonora Farnese (1675–1675), daughter of Ranuccio II Farnese, Princess of Parma and Piacenza; * Duke Francesco I Farnese (1678–1727), seventh

; * Duke Antonio I Farnese (1679–1731), eighth

;

House of Bourbon-Parma

* Duke Philip I of Parma (1720–1765), twelfth

, first

Duke of Guastalla This is a list of rulers of Guastalla, a town in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, on the right bank of the Po River. The County of Guastalla was established in 1406 for the Torelli family. In 1456, the county was partitioned, with county of Montechiarugolo ...

; * Prince Philip Maria of Parma (1783–1786), son of Duke Ferdinand I of Parma, Prince of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla; * Princess Maria Antonietta Luisa of Parma (1784–1785), daughter of Duke Ferdinand I of Parma, Princess of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla; * Princess Maria Luisa of Parma (1787–1789), daughter of Duke Ferdinand I of Parma, Princess of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla; * Princess Maria Enrichetta of Parma (1788–1799), daughter of Duke Ferdinand I of Parma, Princess of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla; * Duke Charles III of Parma (1823–1854), sixteenth

; * Duke Carlos IV of Parma (1930–2010), twenty-third Duke of Parma and Piacenza (titular); * Princess Marie Thérèse of Parma (1933–2020), sister of Carlos IV, Princess of Parma and Piacenza; * Princess Cécile Marie of Parma (1935–2021), sister of Carlos IV, Princess of Parma and Piacenza.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steccata In Parma, Santa Maria Della Roman Catholic churches completed in 1539 Roman Catholic churches in Parma Renaissance architecture in Parma Burials at the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata Basilica churches in Emilia-Romagna Burial sites of the House of Bourbon-Parma 1539 establishments in Italy Church buildings with domes Paintings by Parmigianino 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Burial sites of the House of Farnese