San Biagio is a

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

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, located on Via del Carmine #4 in central

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...

, Italy.

History

The church, initially dedicated to the Virgin of the Carmine, was built in 1319, as an annex to a

Carmelite Order , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

monastery. However, the church we see today was rebuilt in 1649–1658 under the designs of Cristoforo Malagola. When the nearby church of San Biagio, which was located at what is now the Palazzo Montecuccoli degli Erri, was demolished in 1768, the two parishes were united, and renamed ''San Biagio del'' or ''nel Carmine''. This church is mainly known now as ''San Biagio''. The choir and cupola of the church were decorated by the late Baroque master

Mattia Preti Mattia Preti (24 February 1613 – 3 January 1699) was an Italian Baroque artist who worked in Italy and Malta. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Saint John. Life Born in the small town of Taverna in Calabria, Preti was called ''Il Cava ...

with a fresco of ''God in Glory surrounded by the Saints''. In the center ceiling of the sacristy are frescoes with ''Elias and the flaming chariot'' with

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 ...

Agostino Mitelli Agostino Mitelli (16 March 1609 – 2 August 1660) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period and best known as a fresco painter of ''quadratura'' or illusionistic perspectival architectural frameworks. He was born in Battedizzo, near Bologna ...

and figures by Angelo Colonna. In the 14th-century cloister is a chapel with a fresco of Madonna and Child by

Tommaso da Modena Tomaso Barisini, better known as Tommaso da Modena and sometimes called Tomaso Baffini (1326 – 1379) was an Italian painter of the mid-14th century. Biography Tommaso trained in Venice and worked mostly in Northern Italy, but also worked for ...

Interior

To the right of the entrance is the funereal monument of Countess Anna Maria Seghizzi (died 1821), designed and sculpted by

Giuseppe Pisani Giuseppe is the Italian form of the given name Joseph, from Latin Josephus, Iōsēphus from Ancient Greek Ἰωσήφ (Iōsḗph), from Hebrew יוסף. It is the most common name in Italy and is unique (97%) to it. The feminine form of the name ...

. On the first arch is painting by

Luigi Manzini Luigi Manzini (1805–1866) was an Italian painter of the Neoclassicism, Neoclassic and Romantic art, Romantic periods, active mainly in and around his native Modena. Biography He painted portraits, sacred subjects, and scenic designs. He studied ...

depicting ''Saints Lucia, Agatha, and Apollonia''. In the third arch is a painting attributed to either

Dosso Dossi Giovanni di Niccolò de Luteri, better known as Dosso Dossi ( 1489–1542), was an Italian Renaissance painter who belonged to the School of Ferrara, painting in a style mainly influenced by Venetian painting, in particular Giorgione and early T ...

or Giovanni Gherardo delle Catene, depicting ''St Albert fighting a female demon'' (1530). The pulpit and its marble reliefs were completed in the 14th and 15th-centuries. The fourth altar has 17th-century Crucifix by Gregorio Rossi. The fifth arch has a canvas by Paolo Beroaldi depicting the patron saints of Modena: ''St Geminiano'' in center, flanked by '' St Omobono'' and ''St Contardo''. The organ located to the left of the altar was built by Antonio Colonna in 1625 and refurbished in 1772 by Antonio Traeri. In 1936, a modern organ was placed within the same frame. On the right tribune is a 16th-century painting attributed to Raffaele Rinaldi depicts ''Jesus and the Samaritan Woman''. The frescoes in the choir depict an Angelic concert, painted by

. A canvas depicting ''The Trinity and Annunciation'' (1596) were painted by Giovanni Battista Codebò. The canvas on the arch near the confessional depicts ''St John of the Cross'' by

Francesco Vellani Francesco Vellani (1688–1768) was an Italian painter, active in Modena in a late Baroque style. He mainly painted sacred subjects. He painted an altarpiece depicting the ''Assumption of the Virgin'' for the Cathedral of Modena; an ''Immacul ...

. The second chapel is dedicated to the ''Madonna of the Carmine''. The altarpiece is attributed by some to Preti, others claim it is from prior centuries. The third arch has a canvas depicting ''St Teresa genuflecting before St Joseph and Child Jesus'', attributed to either Cignaroli or Cignani. The canvas was moved here from the suppressed church of Santa Teresa delle Carmelitane Scalze. The fifth arch has a painting by Beroaldi depicting ''Saints Michael and Anthony Abbot below God the Father''. The last chapel next the entrance has a baptismal font with a canvas by Domenico Carnevali depicting the ''Baptism of Christ''. The walls had frescoes by Mitelli and Colonna.San Biagio Modena
official site.

References

{{Authority control Roman Catholic churches in Modena Baroque architecture in Modena 1319 establishments in Europe 14th-century establishments in Italy 1649 establishments in Italy 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1658 1658 establishments in Italy