Basilica di Santo Stefano Maggiore is a church in
Milan,
Italy. It was established in the 5th century. Originally dedicated to both Saint
Zechariah
Zechariah most often refers to:
* Zechariah (Hebrew prophet), author of the Book of Zechariah
* Zechariah (New Testament figure), father of John the Baptist
Zechariah or its many variant forms and spellings may also refer to:
People
*Zechariah ...
and
Saint Stephen, it was later dedicated to Saint Stephen only. Throughout its history, has undergone several reconstructions, expansion and restoration.
It is also called ''St. Stephen in Brolo'' (the historical name of the area) or ''St. Stephen's Gate'' (in reference to the postern of Santo Stefano, now no longer exists).
History and Description
The original church building was built around the year 417 on the initiative of the future bishop
Martinianus. It was destroyed by fire in 1070 and it was rebuilt in
romanesque style in 1075.
On 26 December 1476 it was the site of the assassination of Duke
Galeazzo Maria Sforza, who had come to the basilica for the celebration of the patron saint.
On 30 September 1571 in Santo Stefano was baptized the painter Michelangelo Merisi, better known as
Caravaggio
Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of hi ...
. This fact was confirmed by the discovery in February 2007 of baptismal certificate of the painter.
Since 1594 the church underwent a series of interventions, including:
*enlargement of the
apse and of the main altar (early 17th century)
*lengthening of the
nave and reconstruction of the
facade (mid 17th century)
*after the collapse in 1642, reconstruction of the
bell tower
A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...
by the architect Gerolamo Quadrio from
Lugano (late 17th century)
*building of the
sacristy
A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.
The sacristy is usually located ...
(early 18th century )
*modernization of some chapels (early 19th century )
The church preserved the bodies of saints
Martinianus,
Ausanus and
Mansuetus, archbishops of Milan, in 1988
translated to the
Milan Cathedral
Milan Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Milano ; lmo, Domm de Milan ), or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary ( it, Basilica cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria Nascente, links=no), is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombard ...
. St.
Charles Borromeo also translated here the bodies of saints Leo, Arsazius, Marinus,
Mammes and Agapetus.
Notes
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephan, Milan
Basilica churches in Milan
5th-century establishments in Italy
Tourist attractions in Milan
Baroque architecture in Milan