The Church of

Benedictines , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

() and its attached convent are a

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

-style

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church and monastery, located in central Piacenza,

Emilia Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

region,

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 ...

History

The church and the Benedictine convent were built by

Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma Ranuccio II Farnese (17 September 1630 – 11 December 1694) was the sixth Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1646 until his death nearly 50 years later and Duke of Castro from 1646 until 1649. Biography Birth and Succession Ranuccio was the eldes ...

as a result of a vow he made, to build a church if his wife,

Maria d'Este Maria d'Este (8 December 1644 – 20 August 1684) was a Modenese princess and Duchess of Parma as the wife of Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma. She was a daughter of Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena and Maria Caterina Farnese. Family Maria ...

, were cured of an illness. Initially dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the complex was designed in 1677 by the court architect

Domenico Valmagini Domenico Valmagini (1677-1730) was an Italian architect and engineer, active in a Baroque style in the Duchy of Parma and in Lombardy. He was the main court architect for Ranuccio II. Among his works are the monastery and church of the Benedictin ...

, and was consecrated on August 31, 1681. The interior

quadratura Illusionistic ceiling painting, which includes the techniques of perspective ''di sotto in sù'' and ''quadratura'', is the tradition in Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo art in which ''trompe-l'œil'', perspective tools such as foreshortening, an ...

decoration was made by

Ferdinando Bibiena Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena (18 August 1657 – 3 January 1743),"Galli-Bibiena, Ferdinando" (dates, Farnese dynasty, to Barcelona for Karl VI),''Encyclopedia of Austria'', 2006, aeiou.iicm.tugraz.at webpag."Ferdinando Galli Bibiena Online" (overview ...

. In 1810 the nuns were expelled and the convent was used as an armory. Only at the end of the last century was the church restored. The church has a Greek cross plan surmounted by an octagonal drum on which stands a bronze-pleated dome covered in lead and adorned with a

roof lantern A roof lantern is a daylighting architectural element. Architectural lanterns are part of a larger roof and provide natural light into the space or room below. In contemporary use it is an architectural skylight structure. A lantern roof wil ...

, surmounted in turn by the Farnese Lily. Most of the portable artwork from the interior has been removed.Comune of Piacenza
, entry on churches in the city.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benedittine, Piacenza Roman Catholic churches completed in 1681 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches in Piacenza Christian monasteries established in the 17th century Baroque architecture in Piacenza 1681 establishments in Italy