San Fedele is a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

church 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 ...

, 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 ...

. It is dedicated to St. Fidelis of Como, patron of the Catholic

diocese of Como The Diocese of Como ( la, Dioecesis Comensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in northern Italy. It was established in the Fourth Century. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of ...

. Presently it remains a parish church, owned by the Jesuit order, though focusing on religious works.

History

Located in Saint Fedele Square in the centre of the city, near the

Palazzo Marino Palazzo Marino is a 16th-century palace located in Piazza della Scala, in the centre of Milan, Italy. It has been Milan's city hall since 9 September 1861. It borders on Piazza San Fedele, Piazza della Scala, Via Case Rotte and Via Tommaso Marino ...

, the

Teatro alla Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

and the

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II () is Italy's oldest active shopping gallery and a major landmark of Milan in Italy. Housed within a four-story double arcade in the centre of town, the ''Galleria'' is named after Victor Emmanuel II, the first ki ...

, the church was commissioned by

Charles Borromeo Charles Borromeo ( it, Carlo Borromeo; la, Carolus Borromeus; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was the Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584 and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation combat a ...

from

Pellegrino Tibaldi Pellegrino Tibaldi (Valsolda, 1527–Milan, 1596), also known as Pellegrino di Tibaldo de Pellegrini, was an Italian mannerism, mannerist architect, sculpture, sculptor, and mural Painting, painter. Biography Tibaldi was born in Puria di Valsol ...

(1559). Outside of the church, in

Piazza San Fedele Piazza San Fedele (''Saint Fedele Square'' in English) is sited in Milan near Palazzo Marino (Milan's Municipal office), the Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery and Piazza della Scala in a pedestrian area in the centre of the city. The square is sited ...

, is a bronze statue (1883) in memory of the writer

Alessandro Manzoni Alessandro Francesco Tommaso Antonio Manzoni (, , ; 7 March 1785 – 22 May 1873) was an Italian poet, novelist and philosopher. He is famous for the novel '' The Betrothed'' (orig. it, I promessi sposi) (1827), generally ranked among the maste ...

, who lived nearby, and who died from a head injury he received after a fall while exiting mass at San Fedele on 6 January 1873. The interior is on a single nave, with tall columns in granite. The presbytery was extended in the 17th century by

Francesco Maria Richino Francesco Maria Richini (also spelled Ricchini) (9 February 1584 – 24 April 1658) was an Italian Baroque architect. Biography He was born in Milan and trained under Lorenzo Binago. He was patronized by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, Archbishop o ...

, who also designed the sacristy. The façade was completed by Pietro Pestagalli from Tibaldi's designs in 1835. It features a group of

Gaetano Matteo Monti Gaetano Matteo Monti (13 March 1776 in Ravenna – 27 May 1847 in Milan) was an Italian sculptor, working in the Neoclassical style. He studied in Bologna and Rome and then moved to Milan, where he worked on Milan Cathedral (Duomo de Milano)It ...

's statues representing the Assumption. The interior is decorated with artworks that include a ''Pietà'' 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 ...

, a ''St. Ignatius'' by

Giovanni 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) a ''Transfiguration'' by Bernardino Campi, and a Sacred Heart by

Lucio Fontana Lucio Fontana (; 19 February 1899 – 7 September 1968) was an Argentine-Italian painter, sculptor and theorist. He is mostly known as the founder of Spatialism. Early life Born in Rosario, to Italian immigrant parents, he was t ...

. A ''Madonna of the Snake'' by

Ambrogio Figino Giovanni Ambrogio Figino (1548/1551 – 11 October 1608) was an Italian Renaissance painter from Milan. Biography An important representative of the Lombard school of painting, he had been taught by Gian Paolo Lomazzo. Best known as a drafts ...

, once found in the church, is now in the church of Sant'Antonio Abate of the city.

Museo San Fedele

The museum and gallery was inaugurated in December 2014. It displays works that are part of the collection of the Jesuit order. The Jesuit priest, Arcangelo Favaro, founder of the Galleria San Fedele, was prompted by the speech given by Pope Paul VI in 1964 urging a dialogue between art and faith. Among the works in the gallery are modern contributions by

Carlo Carrà Carlo Carrà (; February 11, 1881 – April 13, 1966) was an Italian painter and a leading figure of the Futurist movement that flourished in Italy during the beginning of the 20th century. In addition to his many paintings, he wrote a number ...

Mario Sironi Mario Sironi (May 12, 1885 – August 13, 1961) was an Italian modernist artist who was active as a painter, sculptor, illustrator, and designer. His typically somber paintings are characterized by massive, immobile forms. Biography He was bor ...

, and

. Fontana's commissioned altarpiece (1956) is now in the church. Other works by David Simpson,

Mimmo Paladino Mimmo Paladino (born Paduli, 18 December 1948) is an Italian sculptor, painter and printmaker. He is a leading name in the Transvanguardia artistic movement and one of the many European artists to revive Expressionism in the 1980s. Biography ...

Jannis Kounellis Jannis Kounellis ( el, Γιάννης Κουνέλλης; 23 March 1936 – 16 February 2017) was a Greek Italian artist based in Rome. A key figure associated with Arte Povera, he studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome. Life and work K ...

, Sean Shanahan,

Claudio Parmiggiani Claudio is an Italian and Spanish first name. In Portuguese it is accented Cláudio. In Catalan and Occitan it is Claudi, while in Romanian it is Claudiu. Origin and history Claudius was the name of an eminent Roman gens, the most important ...

, and

Nicola De Maria Nicola De Maria (born 6 December 1954 in Foglianise, Italy) is an Italian painter living and working in Torino, Italy. De Maria is known for his abstract figurative works, which have been characterized as lyrical and colourful. Biography De Maria ...

are in the gallery or church.Official website of San Fedele

References

External links

Official website
{{Milan landmarks 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Fedele Jesuit churches in Italy Renaissance architecture in Milan Tourist attractions in Milan

History

Museo San Fedele

See also

References

External links