Santa Maria dei Miracoli presso San Celso is a church and a sanctuary in

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 ...

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 ...

, northern

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 and overview

The construction was begun 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

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 ...

in 1493, to house a miraculous icon of the Madonna, initially on the central plan. The first part to be built was the octagonal dome, covered externally by a

tambour In classical architecture, a tambour ( Fr.: "drum") is the inverted bell of the Corinthian capital around which are carved acanthus leaves for decoration. The term also applies to the wall of a circular structure, whether on the ground or raised ...

with a loggia and arcades decorated by twelve brickwork statues by Agostino De Fondulis, designed in Lombard style by

Giovanni Antonio Amadeo 260px, Amadeo, Milan Cathedral 260px, The Colleoni Chapel in Bergamo. Giovanni Antonio Amadeo (c. 1447 – 27 or 28 August 1522) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor of the Early Renaissance, architect, and engineer. Biography Amadeo was born in ...

(1494-1498). In 1506 to the original edifice a complex with nave and two aisles was added, the former covered by a monumental

barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

also by Amadeo; the presbytery received a polygonal

ambulatory The ambulatory ( la, ambulatorium, ‘walking place’) is the covered passage around a cloister or the processional way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar. The first ambulatory was in France in the 11th ...

inspired to that in the

Duomo ''Duomo'' (, ) is an Italian term for a church with the features of, or having been built to serve as, a cathedral, whether or not it currently plays this role. Monza Cathedral, for example, has never been a diocesan seat and is by definition not ...

. In the 16th century also the square

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

in classical style was added, perhaps designed by

Cesare Cesariano 240px, The 1521 Italian edition of Vitruvius' ''De architectura'', translated and illustrated by Cesare Cesariano.">De_architectura.html" ;"title="Vitruvius' ''De architectura">Vitruvius' ''De architectura'', translated and illustrated by Cesar ...

Cristoforo Lombardo Cristoforo may refer to: See also * Cristoforo Colombo (disambiguation) * Cristian (disambiguation) Cristian is the Romanian and Spanish form of the male given name Christian. In Romanian, it is also a surname. Cristian may refer to: Peopl ...

(il Lombardino). The massive eclectic and

Mannerist Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, ...

style façade was designed by

Galeazzo Alessi Galeazzo Alessi (1512 – 30 December 1572) was an Italian architect from Perugia, known throughout Europe for his distinctive style based on his enthusiasm for ancient architecture. He studied drawing for civil and military architecture under the ...

in the late 16th century and was realized by

Martino Bassi Martino Bassi (1542–1591) was an Italian architect active in the Renaissance period, mainly in Milan. He was born in Seregno near Milan. He was involved in a public dispute regarding the baptistery of the Cathedral of Milan. He helped build the i ...

; it is decorated by numerous statues and reliefs by

Stoldo Lorenzi Stoldo Lorenzi (''Stoldo di Gino Lorenzi''; 1534 – after 1583) was an Italian Mannerist sculptor active in Florence and Pisa. Born 1534 in Settignano, Tuscany, close to Florence. He was born the son of Gino Lorenzi, of a family of renowned sto ...

and

Annibale Fontana Annibale Fontana (1540–1587) was an Italian sculptor, medallist and crystal-worker. Fontana was born in Milan. His first known work is a crystal case, now in the ''Schatzkammer '' of Munich, for Albert V of Bavaria (c. 1560-1570). In 1570–157 ...

. From 1595 the organist was the keyboard virtuoso

Giovanni Paolo Cima Giovanni Paolo Cima (c. 1570 – 1630) was an Italian composer and organist in the early Baroque era. He was a contemporary of Claudio Monteverdi and Girolamo Frescobaldi, though not as well known (then or now) as either of those men. Cima ca ...

Interior

The interior houses numerous works by Milanese Renaissance and Baroque artists:

Giovan Battista Crespi Giovanni Battista Crespi (23 December 1573 – 23 October 1632), called Il Cerano, was an Italian painter, sculptor, and architect. Biography He was born in Romagnano Sesia, the son of a painter, Raffaele Crespi, and moved to Cerano with his fa ...

(il Cerano),

Camillo Camillo is an Italian masculine given name, descended from Latin Camillus. Its Slavic cognate is Kamil. People with the name include: *Camillo Agrippa, Italian Renaissance fencer, architect, engineer and mathematician *Camillo Almici (1714–17 ...

and

Giulio Cesare Procaccini Giulio Cesare Procaccini (1574–1625) was an Italian painter and sculptor of the early Baroque era in Milan. Biography Born in Bologna he was son of the Mannerist painter Ercole Procaccini the Elder and brother of Camillo Procaccini and Car ...

Carlo Francesco Nuvolone Carlo Francesco Nuvolone (1608 or 1609 in Milan – 1661 or 1662 in Milan)Antonio Campi Antonio Campi (c. 1522 – 1587) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance. He was born in Cremona. His style merges Lombard with Mannerist styles. In Cremona, his extended family was the foundation of the Cremonese school of painting. Gi ...

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''

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 others. Notable are the ''Baptism of Jesus'' by

Gaudenzio Ferrari Gaudenzio Ferrari (c. 1471 – 11 January 1546) was an Italian painter and sculptor of the Renaissance. Biography Gaudenzio was born to Franchino Ferrari at Valduggia in the Valsesia in the Duchy of Milan. Valduggia is now in the Province of V ...

and

Giovan Battista della Cerva Giovan Battista della Cerva (c. 1515–1580) was an Italian painter. Born in Novara, he was a pupil of Gaudenzio Ferrari, of whom he became the main assistant and collaborator during the last stage of his career. Works entirely by della Cerva inc ...

, the ''Fall of St. Paul'' by

Moretto Moretto is a surname, and may refer to: *Moretto, or Moretto da Brescia, (c. 1498–1554), Italian Renaissance painter (in his case ''Il Moretto'' was a nickname) *Angie Moretto, NHL player *Enrico Moretto, Italian fighter ace *Graziella Moretto, a ...

and, on the altar of the right transept, an altarpiece by

Paris Bordone Paris Bordone (Paris Paschalinus Bordone; 5 July 1500 – 19 January 1571) was an Italian painter of the Venetian Renaissance who, despite training with Titian, maintained a strand of Mannerism, Mannerist complexity and provincial vigor. Biog ...

. The lectern of the choir is by

Giuseppe Meda Giuseppe Meda, originally Giuseppe Lomazzo (c. 1534–1599) was an Italian painter, architect and hydraulics engineer. Born in Milan, he apprenticed as painter under Bernardino Campi. He also studied as architect and engineer, and planned a nev ...

. In the left transept, within an altar designed by Martino Bassi, is the venerated marble statue of the ''Assunta'' by

(1586) with two later angels by Giulio Cesare Procaccini.

San Celso

Annexed to Santa Maria is the Romanesque church of San Celso, dedicated to the martyr Saint Celsus, which was largely demolished. It was founded in the 4th century and rebuilt in the 11th century. The façade (remade in the 19th century) has a

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' w ...

and a Romanesque portal with animal figures decoration. Also from the 11th century is the bell tower.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Maria Presso San Celso 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Maria presso San Celso Renaissance architecture in Milan Tourist attractions in Milan Basilica churches in Milan