The church and monastery of San Vittore al Corpo were an ancient monastery of the

Olivetan The Olivetans, formally known as the Order of Our Lady of Mount Olivet, are a monastic order. They were founded in 1313 and recognised in 1344. They use the Rule of Saint Benedict and are a member of the Benedictine Confederation, where they are ...

order built in the early 16th century. The site was once a fourth century Roman imperial mausoleum of

Maximian Maximian ( la, Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus; c. 250 – c. July 310), nicknamed ''Herculius'', was Roman emperor from 286 to 305. He was ''Caesar'' from 285 to 286, then ''Augustus'' from 286 to 305. He shared the latter title with his ...

, that may also have held the burials of the emperors

Gratian Gratian (; la, Gratianus; 18 April 359 – 25 August 383) was emperor of the Western Roman Empire from 367 to 383. The eldest son of Valentinian I, Gratian accompanied his father on several campaigns along the Rhine and Danube frontiers and wa ...

and

Valentinian II Valentinian II ( la, Valentinianus; 37115 May 392) was a Roman emperor in the western part of the Roman empire between AD 375 and 392. He was at first junior co-ruler of his brother, was then sidelined by a usurper, and only after 388 sole rule ...

, though they were more likely buried in another mausoleum, now the Chapel of Saint Aquilinus in the Basilica of Saint Lawrence.Johnson, M. J. ''The Roman Imperial Mausoleum in Late Antiquity'', New York: CUP, 2009, pp. 70-'4; 156-'66; 216-217. The basilica was enlarged in the 8th century to house the relics of the saints Vittore and Satiro. A Benedictine monastery soon was attached to the church. In 1507, the monastery was transferred to the Olivetans, who began a major reconstruction. Reconstruction of the church was begun in 1533 by Vincenzo Seregni, and completed in 1568 by

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 ...

. The façade remains incomplete. The dome was frescoed in 1617 by

Guglielmo Caccia Guglielmo Caccia called il Moncalvo (9 May 15681625) was an Italian painter of sacred subjects in a Mannerism, Mannerist style. Biography He was born in Montabone near Acqui Terme, Acqui. He is said to have been a pupil of Lorenzo Sabbatini. He s ...

(called "il Moncalvo"). In the chapel of St Anthony is a 1619 canvas by

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 ...

(''Death of St Paul the hermit''). In the transept on the left, is an early 17th-century cycle of canvases of the ''Stories of San Benedetto'', 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 ...

while the right transept has three altarpieces by

Camillo Procaccini 300px, ''Nativity'' by Camillo Procaccini Camillo Procaccini (3 March 1561 at Parma – 21 August 1629) was an Italian painter. He has been posthumously referred to as the ''Vasari of Lombardy'', for his prolific Mannerist fresco decoration. Bor ...

. Other chapels have paintings by

Pompeo Batoni Pompeo Girolamo Batoni (25 January 1708 – 4 February 1787) was an Italian painter who displayed a solid technical knowledge in his portrait work and in his numerous allegorical and mythological pictures. The high number of foreign visitors tra ...

and

Giovanni Battista Discepoli Giovanni Battista Discepoli (1590–1660), also called "Lo Zoppo di Lugano" from his being a cripple, was a Swiss-Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Milan. Born in Lugano, Switzerland, he was a pupil of the painter Camillo ...

. During the Napoleonic wars, the site became a military hospital, and afterwards became barracks. It suffered damage during the bombardments of 1943. The monastery now houses a museum of science, the ''

Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, dedicated to painter and scientist Leonardo da Vinci, is the largest science and technology museum in Italy. It was opened on 5 February 1953 and inaugurated by Prime Minister Alci ...

''.

Bibliography

*D. Caporusso & A. Ceresa Mori, ''C'era una volta Mediolanum'', in ''Archeo (attualità dal passato)'' of settembre 2010, n. 307. *Marco Bona Castellotti, ''Giovan Battista Discepoli'', ad vocem, in Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, volume 40, Roma 1991. *Silvia Lusuardi Siena, ''Milano (Mediolanum): Il recinto di S.Vittore al Corpo'', in ''Catalogo della Mostra "Milano capitale dell'Impero romani (286-402 d.C.)"'', a cura di Gemma Sena Chiesa, Milano 1990. *Agnoldomenico Pica, Piero Portaluppi, ''La Basilica Porziana di San Vittore al Corpo'', Milano 1934

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vittore al Corpo, San Basilica churches in Milan Neoclassical architecture in Milan Roman Catholic churches completed in 1568 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy 1568 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire Tourist attractions in Milan Neoclassical church buildings in Italy

See also

Bibliography

References