Santa Maria della Vittoria was a medieval chapel or small church in

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...

located on Piazzetta di San Simone. It was built by Marchese Francesco Gonzaga in 1496 in memory of the French army of Charles VIII in the

battle of Fornovo The Battle of Fornovo took place 30 km (19 miles) southwest of the city of Parma on 6 July 1495. It was fought as King Charles VIII of France left Naples upon hearing the news of the grand coalition assembled against him. Despite the numerical ...

. The site had previously been the house of a Jewish moneylender, Daniele da Norsa. Apparently he had overpainted a fresco representation of the Virgin on the façade with his own coat of arms. The ruler at the time,

Sigismondo Gonzaga Sigismondo Gonzaga (1469, Mantua – 3 October 1525, Mantua) was an Italian cardinal. He was the third son of Federico I Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua. Life He was the son of Frederick I of Mantua and commanded his brother Francesco II's troops b ...

, demanded that the iconic painting be restored, or Daniele would face execution. Despite having accepted the unrefusable offer, a mob razed the house at the site. When Francesco returned, he pardoned the Jew, if he were to fund construction of the chapel . The architect

Bernardino Ghisolfi Bernardino is a name of Italian, Hispanic, or Portuguese origin, which can refer to: Given name * Bernardino Baldi (1533–1617), Italian mathematician and writer *Bernardino Bertolotti (born 1547), Italian composer and instrumentalist *Bernard ...

designed the two story edifice. It once housed a famous altarpiece, the ''

Madonna della Vittoria The ''Madonna della Vittoria'' is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna; the painting was executed in 1496. History On 6 July 1495 the French army of Charles VIII of France, retreating from Italy after the French Invasio ...

'', painted by

Mantegna Mantegna is a surname. Notable people with the name include: * Andrea Mantegna ( – 1506), Italian painter * Gia Mantegna (born 1990), American actress * Joe Mantegna (born 1947), American actor See also * Mantegna Tarocchi The Mantegna Tarocc ...

; the painting was looted in 1797, is now at the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

References

Historic photographs of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria
{{Coord, 45.1602, N, 10.7914, E, source:wikidata, display=title Maria Vittoria Renaissance architecture in Mantua 15th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy