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 Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

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 re ...

. It is considered one of the masterworks of the Lombard

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

art. The church was designed in 1488 by

Giovanni Battagio Giovanni Battagio was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and architect. A follower of Giovanni Antonio Amadeo, from 1483 he worked on Santa Maria presso San Satiro and other buildings in Milan. He designed the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Croc ...

(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 Gian Giacomo Quadri, known as Dolcebuono ( 1445 – 1504) was an Italian architect and sculptor. Born probably in Lugano, he was a relative of Giacomo Antonio Dolcebuono, who had provided one of the first projects for the façade of the Certosa ...

and finished by Giovanni Antonio Amadeo, 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 A lantern is an often portable source of lighting, typically featuring a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle or a wick in oil, and often a battery-powered light in modern timesto make it easier to carry and h ...

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 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 Ambrogio Borgognone (variously known as ''Ambrogio da Fossano'', ''Ambrogio di Stefano da Fossano'', ''Ambrogio Stefani da Fossano'' or as ''il Bergognone'' or ''Ambrogio Egogni''

, 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 Lodi ( , ; Ludesan: ) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, northern Italy, primarily on the western bank of the River Adda. It is the ca ...

. 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 Stefano Maria Legnani also known as "Legnanino" (Milan, 6 April 1661 – Milan, 4 May 1713) was an Italian painter of the late Baroque period, active mainly in Milan. Altare Incoronata

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