San Barnaba is a 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 ...

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 the first edifice of the

Barnabites , image = Barnabites.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = One version of the Barnabite logo. "P.A." refers to Paul the Apostle and the three hills symbolize the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. , a ...

order.

History

The congregation founded in 1530 by

Anthony Mary Zaccaria Anthony Maria Zaccaria, CRSP (Italian: Antonio Maria Zaccaria; 1502 – 5 July 1539) was an early leader of the Counter Reformation, the founder of religious orders (Barnabites) and a promoter of the devotion to the Passion of Christ, the Eucha ...

was given the name "Clerics Regular of St. Paul".Tondini di Quarenghi, Cesario. "Barnabites." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 12 Jan. 2014
/ref> It was approved by

Pope Clement VII Pope Clement VII ( la, Clemens VII; it, Clemente VII; born Giulio de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the ...

in the brief ''Vota per quae vos'' in 1533. In 1538 the old monastery of "Preposturale of San Barnaba in Brova" by the Milan city wall was given to the congregation as their main seat, and thenceforth they were known the popular name of ''Barnabites''.Schaff, Philip. "Barnabites", ''The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. I: Aachen - Basilians, p.488, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1951
/ref>

Architecture

Renovations began on the old monastery in 1545, but it soon became clear that the building was too small. 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 ...

was commissioned to design its renovation and expansion. It has a nave with

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 ...

, finishing in a rectangular presbytery serving as the sanctuary. Construction was completed in 1567, followed by embellishing the interior, which continued into 1568. The first mass was celebrated in 1568 by Archbishop of Milan

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 ...

, Cardinal Protector of the Barnabite order, who had himself donated the altar."Chiesa di San Barnaba e Paolo", Turismo Milano
/ref> There is an altar dedicated to

Alexander Sauli Alexander (Alessandro) Sauli, C.R.S.P. (15 February 1534 – 11 October 1592) was an Italian priest who is called the "Apostle of Corsica". He is a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1571, he was appointed by Pius V to the ancient see ...

, a Superior-General of the Barnabite order (1566-1569) and "Apostle of Corsica". The interior includes a notable selection of Milanese

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, ...

artworks: the ''Stigmata of St. Francis'' by

Giovan Paolo Lomazzo Gian Paolo Lomazzo (26 April 1538 – 27 January 1592; his first name is sometimes also given as "Giovan" or "Giovanni") was an Italian artist and writer on art. Praised as a painter, Lomazzo wrote about artistic practice and art theory after ...

, a ''Pietà'' by

Aurelio Luini ''Ol compà Digliagòr'' and ''Ol compà Braghetògn '', two caricatures. Milan.html"_;"title="Pinacoteca_Ambrosiana,_Milan">Pinacoteca_Ambrosiana,_Milan. Aurelio_Luini_(c._1530_-_1593)_was_an_Italians.html" "title="Milan..html" ;"title="Milan.h ...

and, flaking the high altar two large canvasses of ''Histories of St. Paul and Barnaba'',

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 ...

's (1572–1573).

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnaba Milan 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Renaissance architecture in Milan Barnaba Tourist attractions in Milan