Santa Maria del Carmine 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 was built in 1446.

History

In 1268, the

Carmelites , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

obtained a site near the

Castello Sforzesco The Castello Sforzesco (Italian for "Sforza's Castle") is a medieval fortification located in Milan, northern Italy. It was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remnants of a 14th-century fortification. Later reno ...

where, starting from the 14th century, they built a convent with an annexed church. The latter was, however, destroyed in a fire in 1330. The rebuilt church fell into disuse before the end of the century, after the friars moved to another convent. The new church was built from 1400, under the design of friar Bernardo da Venezia. Works were completed in 1446. The vault crumbled down three years after completion and a restoration was necessary. In the mid-15th century, the church became a favourite destination for aristocratic burials, as testified by the numerous noble tombs in the chapels and niches. In the 17th century, the presbytery was remade in the

Baroque style The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

. The current façade was designed by

Carlo Maciachini Carlo Francesco Maciachini (sometimes spelled Maciacchini; 2 April 1818 – 10 June 1899) was an Italian architect and restorer. Born near Varese, he studied in Milan, where he also realized some of his most important works, most notably the Monum ...

and completed in 1880.

Description

The interior has a nave and two aisles. They are covered by crossed vault ceilings and separated by large circular pillars in brick or simple stone. In the naves and transepts are several artworks, including works 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 ...

depicting ''St Charles Borromeo Praying'' (1585) and other works by the painter in the Chapel of Madonna del Carmine, as well as a Madonna statue at the altar. The high altar has a small temple inspired by that in 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 ...

External links

Official website
{{coord, 45, 28, 14, N, 9, 11, 10, E, source:kolossus-itwiki, display=title Roman Catholic churches completed in 1446 15th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1880 Maria Carmine Gothic architecture in Milan