The Church of Sant'Agata is one of the oldest churches in the city of

Cremona Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...

, Italy. It was originally attached to the Augustinian monastic order of

Canons Regular of the Lateran The Canons Regular of the Lateran (CRL, Canonici Regulares Lateranenses), formally titled the Canons Regular of St. Augustine of the Congregation of the Most Holy Savior at the Lateran, is an international congregation of canons regular, comprisin ...

. The abbot of the attached monastery was, like the bishop,

mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) or miter (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, see spelling differences; both pronounced ; ) is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of ...

History

The original church at the site was built in 1077, and first rebuilt in the 12th century. Of this latter Romanesque church, only the bell-tower remains. The interior of the church was again rebuilt in 1496 under the designs of Bernardino de Lera; while the present Neoclassical-style facade with simple portico of white columns was built in 1835 under designs of Luigi Voghera. Nearly all the 15th-century fresco decoration was lost. The nave was frescoed with an ''Allegory of Virtue'' in 1872. Fragments of the earlier decoration are conserved: A ''Grieving Madonna'' in the right nave, a Christ at the Column in the left nave. The left nave contains the ''Trecchi Mausoleum'' (1502) by

Gian Cristoforo Romano Giovanni Cristoforo (or Giancristoforo) Romano (1456–1512) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and medallist. Born in Rome to Isaia da Pisa, he was probably a pupil of Andrea Bregno. His first known works are in the Ducal Palace of Urbino, ...

. The third altarpiece on the left, depicts Saint Agatha. In the chapel of Saint Agatha is a ''Pietà'', by

Bernardino Gatti Bernardino Gatti (c.1495 – 22 February 1576) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance, active mainly in Parma and Cremona. He is also commonly called il Sojaro. He was born in or near Pavia or Cremona. His early apprenticeship is unclear, ...

. The walls of the presbytery were frescoed with scenes from the ''Life of Saint Agatha'' (1537) by

Giulio Campi Giulio Campi (1502 – 5 March 1572) was an Italian painter and architect. His brothers Vincenzo Campi and Antonio Campi were also renowned painters. Biography The eldest of a family of prominent painters, Campi was born at Cremona. His father G ...

. In a chapel of the left nave, is an altarpiece depicting the ''Holy Family with Mary Magdalen'' (1518) by

Boccaccio Boccaccino Boccaccio Boccaccino (c. 1467 – c. 1525) was a painter of the early Italian Renaissance, belonging to the Emilian school. He is profiled in Vasari's (or, in English, ''Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects''). ...

. Cremona City tourism website

References

{{Coord missing, Italy Agata Neoclassical architecture in Lombardy 15th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Buildings and structures completed in 1496 Churches completed in the 1490s Neoclassical church buildings in Italy