Garegnano Charterhouse, also known as Milan Charterhouse ( it, Certosa di Garegnano or ''Certosa di Milano'') is a former
Carthusian
The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians ( la, Ordo Cartusiensis), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its ...
monastery, or
charterhouse
Charterhouse may refer to:
* Charterhouse (monastery), of the Carthusian religious order
Charterhouse may also refer to:
Places
* The Charterhouse, Coventry, a former monastery
* Charterhouse School, an English public school in Surrey
London ...
, located on the outskirts of
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
,
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 ...
, in the
Garegnano district. It now houses a community of
Capuchin Friars
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM) ...
.
History
The monastery, dedicated to
Saint Ambrose
Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promo ...
but also known as Our Lady of the Lamb of God, was founded in 1349 by
Giovanni Visconti, bishop and lord of Milan. Soon after the foundation, monks from this monastery, with the patronage of
Galeazzo Visconti, helped found the
Certosa of Pavia
The Certosa di Pavia is a monastery and complex in Lombardy, Northern Italy, situated near a small town of the same name in the Province of Pavia, north of Pavia. Built in 1396–1495, it was once located on the border of a large hunting ...
.
It was then located some 4 kilometers from the walls of Milan. In the 14th century it housed, among others, the poet
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca (; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists.
Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited w ...
.
It was pillaged in 1449 when the Visconti dynasty fell. It was suppressed under the rationalist reforms of the
Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 un ...
, Milan then being under Austrian rule, and became a parish church in 1782. In 1960 the surviving buildings and parochial duties were taken over by the
Capuchin Friars
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM) ...
. The present buildings date from the 16th and 17th centuries.
The main artworks include a cycle of frescos in the main church by
Simone Peterzano
Simone Peterzano (c. 1535–1599) was an Italian painter from Bergamo, but stressed his links to Venice where he probably trained. He painted in Mannerism, mannerist style and is mostly known as the master of Caravaggio.
Peterzano called himself ...
(1578), il Genovesino, and
Daniele Crespi
Daniele Crespi (159819 July 1630) was an Italian painter and draughtsman. He is regarded as one of the most original artists working in Milan in the 1620s. He broke away from the exaggerated manner of Lombard Mannerism in favour of an early Bar ...
(1629). There is a painting of ''San Brunone'' by Crespi.
[A. Bianchi, page 341.] The
chapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...
contains, in the vault, a fresco of
Saint Michael
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
by
Bernardo Zenale
Bernardo (or Bernardino) Zenale (c. 1460 – 1526) was an Italian painter and architect.
Biography
Zenale was born in Treviglio, Lombardy, where in 1485 he finished the great polyptych for the church of St. Martin, together with his fellow Ber ...
of the early 16th century.
Further reading
* Leoncini, Giovanni, 2000: ''Tra passato e futuro: la vita di alcune importanti certose di Italia''. ''Analecta Cartusiana'' no 160, Salzburg
official site
References
1349 establishments in Europe
1340s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire
Religious organizations established in the 1340s
14th-century establishments in Italy
Christian monasteries established in the 14th century
Carthusian monasteries in Italy
Roman Catholic churches in Milan
Monasteries in Lombardy
Tourist attractions in Milan
Renaissance architecture in Milan
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