The Churches of Brescia

DIOCESI DI BRESCIA Ufficio pastorale turismo e pellegrinaggi

THE CHURCHES of BRESCIA www.bresciatourism.it

SUMMARY TOURIST INFORMATION

THE HISTORICAL CITY CENTRE

Pag. 4 Pag. 5

THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA Pag. 6-55

POINTS OF INTEREST IN BRESCIA AND PROVINCE

Pag. 56-63

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THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

BRESCIA AND ITS PROVINCE, A LAND OF A PROFOUND SPIRITUALITY FAITH, CULTURE AND LANDSCAPES

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n the sign of faith, the visitor will find various holiday opportunities in Brescia, the home of Pope Paul VI. The churches which adorn the city contain authentic masterpieces of painting and sculpture.

The artistic routes among museums, country churches and ancient parishes will guide us on the traces of the paintings of Romanino, Foppa, Tiepolo or among the churches of Garda, bearing exceptional witness to the Romanesque style.

The archaeological area

of the city of Brescia, the Santa Giulia Museum, lakes Garda and Iseo and Idro and the high mountains of the Camonica Valley are sites of great charm and strong tourist interest; more cosy yet equally significant are the large expanses of the Trompia Valley, within which there is an interesting itinerary of visits to religious sites; as well as in the Sabbia Valley and the Brescian plans, where every church can be considered an authentic museum.

THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

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Brescia is strategically located a short distance from Milan and Venice and at the intersection of the great European corridors connecting France to Austria (from west to east) and Germany and Central Europe to Rome (from north to south).

1 Biblioteca Queriniana Via Mazzini, 1

INFORMATION Brescia is a halfway point in a circuit of cities of art such as Verona, rento, Bergamo, Milan, Mantua and Cremona. Brescia and its lakes are, therefore, the perfect jumping-off spot for visiting these cities, shopping or going to concerts. Its geographic location and scenery, along with its historic, artistic and cultural treasures, food and wine, and events.

Facilities make the Province of Brescia a perfect tourist destination.

2 Castello Via Castello 3 Duomo Nuovo e Vecchio, Broletto Piazza Paolo VI (pag. 6) 4 Piazza Loggia Torre dell’Orologio 5 Museo della Mille Miglia Viale della Rimembranza, 3 6 Museo di Scienze Naturali Via Ozanam, 4 7 Museo Diocesano di Arte Sacra Via Gasparo da Salò, 13 (pag. 56) 8 Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo Via Martinengo da Barco, 1 9 S. Clemente Vicolo San Clemente (pag. 48) 10 S. Faustino in Riposo Via Musei (pag. 12) 11 S. Francesco d’Assisi, Via S. Francesco (pag. 30)

BY AIR Verona Villafranca Valerio Catullo (50 km) www.aeroportoverona.it Montichiari (Province of Brescia) Gabriele D’Annunzio (15 km) www.aeroportobrescia.it Bergamo Orio al Serio (80 km) www.sacbo.it Milano Linate and Malpensa (100 km) www.sea-aeroportimilano.it Venezia Marco Polo (180 km) www.veniceairport.it

BY TRAIN Brennero-Modena / Milano-Venezia Line www.trenitalia.it

BY CAR From Torino and Milano highway Brescia Centro exit. Alternate route: from Torino, highway A21.

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12 S. Giovanni Evangelista e SS. Sacramento Contrada S. Giovanni, 12 (pag. 22)

13 S. Giuseppe Vicolo S. Giuseppe, 5 (pag. 16) 14 S. Lorenzo Via Moretto (pag. 38) 15 S. Maria in Calchera Piazzetta S. Maria in Calchera (pag. 46) 16 S. Maria dei Miracoli, Corso Martiri della Libertà (pag. 34) 17 S. Maria del Carmine C.da Carmine, Vic. Manzone, 7 (pag. 18) 18 S. Maria della Carità, Via Musei, 41 (pag. 10) 19 S. Maria della Pace, Via Pace (pag. 26) 20 S. Maria delle Grazie Via Grazie, 13 (pag. 24) 21 S. Pietro in Oliveto, Via del Castello (pag. 54) 22 S. Zeno al Foro Piazza del Foro (pag. 50) 23 Sant’Afra in S. Eufemia Corso Magenta, 68 (pag. 44) 24 Sant’Agata Corsetto Sant’Agata (pag. 36) 25 Sant’Alessandro P.tta Sant’Alessandro (pag. 40) 26 Sant’Angela Merici Via Crispi (pag. 42) 27 Santa Giulia Museo della Città, Via Musei, 81/b 28 SS. Corpo di Cristo Via Piamarta, 9 (pag. 52) 29 Ss. Cosma e Damiano Via Cairoli (pag. 28) 30 SS. Faustino e Giovita Via S. Faustino (pag. 20) 31 Ss. Nazaro e Celso Corso Matteotti (pag. 32)

From Venice or Verona highway A4 in direction of Milan, Brescia Centro exit.

32 Teatro Grande Corso Zanardelli 33 Tempio Capitolino e Teatro Romano Via Musei, 57/a

From Bologna, Florence or Rome highway A1 to Modena, highway A22 to Verona, highway A4 to Brescia Centro.

34 Torre della Pallata Corso Mameli, angolo Via Pace 35 Chiesa San Giorgio Piazzetta San Giorgio (pag. 14)

From Genoa and Liguria highway A7 to Tortona, highway A21 to Brescia. www.autobrennero.it / www.autostrade.it

THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA INFORMATION

36 TOURIST INFORMATION OFFICE Via Trieste, 1 (Piazza Paolo VI) Tel. +39.030.2400357

37 Piazzale Stazione Tel. +39.030.8378559

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INFORMATION

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THE NEW CATHEDRAL 3

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THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

PIAZZA PAOLO VI

The New Cathedral was designed by the architect Giovanbattista Lantana and built specifically over the remains of the ancient basilica of San Pietro de Dom, from 1604. The works suffered several delays due to financial difficulties, but were recommenced approximately one century later on impulse from Cardinal Angelo Maria Querini, whose bust (by Antonio Callegari) stands above the central portal. The works on the cathedral finished with completion of the cupola, in 1825.

The cupola measures 80 metres and is the third highest in Italy.

The cathedral’s baroque facade is made from marble from the Botticino quarries, located just outside Brescia, and the triangular tympanum contains the city crest.

Inside the cathedral, on the first altar to the right is a wooden Crucifix dating from the fifteenth century; the lunette is decorated with a painting of the Sacrifice of Isaac, created by the artist Moretto (nickname of Alessandro Bonvicino, 1498-1554).

On the third altar we can see the sarcophagus of Sant’Apollonio (bishop of Brescia the third century), created in 1510, with high reliefs attributed to Maffeo Olivieri.

There are also two very interesting pairs of paintings by Girolamo Romani, known as il Romanino (Brescian painter, 1484-1560) and, in the Trinity chapel, the altarpiece by Giuseppe Nuvolone, a grandiose ex voto for the end of the plague in 1630.

The Assumption altarpiece which can be seen at the end of the presbytery is

by Iacopo Zoboli (1773), whereas in the altar to the left of the presbytery there is an interesting painting by Palma the Younger.

Along the left nave we can see the monument dedicated to Giovanbattista Montini, the Brescian Pope Paul VI, created in 1984 by the sculptor Raffaele Scorzelli.

The cathedral is fully accessible to the disabled.

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THE OLD CATHEDRAL 3

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THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

PIAZZA PAOLO VI

The Old Cathedral, also called “La Rotonda� for its circular plan dates back to the year 1100.

It was built by an ancient Guild of specialized masons and is a real gem of the city of Brescia, as well as the largest circular Romanesque church still extant.

In the 1400s the apse was extended and two side chapels were added, and about a century later the building underwent further interventions, such as the opening of a door to the base of the bell tower which however weakened the structure causing its partial collapse in 1708.

The terracotta portal on the left from which descends a small stairway was opened in the 14th century when an increase of the level of the square had blocked the other doors.

Inside the Old Cathedral is the sepulchral monument dedicated to Berardo Maggi, who in 1275 was appointed bishop of the city. The monument dates back to the first decade of the 14th century and is a typical example of Romanesque sculpture in red marble.

Another sepulchral monument of interest is also that to Bishop Balduino Lambertini da Bologna, made in 1349 by Bonino da Campione.

In the transept, that is the area that cuts the church horizontally, beneath

the floor are some remains of the former basilica (VI century) and of a Roman spa system. In the central part of the church there are frescoes of the second half of the 13th century while in the right nave there is a large painting by Francesco Maffei showing the bell tower prior to its collapse.

In the chapels there are works by Gerolamo Romani (Romanino), Moretto, Palma the Younger, Grazio Cossali and Antonio Gandino.

The main altar dates back to the 1300s, while the chorus and the organ are from the mid-1500s.

In the chapel of the Holy Crosses a safe contains a real treasure: the shrine of the Holy Thorns, known as the Stauroteca (11th century), the Field Cross (also known as the Orifiamma, 12th century, which was hung on the Carroccio) and the Shrine and Reliquary of the Holy Cross.

These splendid and unique works of art are exhibited in the Old Cathedral only on the last Friday in March and on September 14, the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

There is also the remarkable tomb of Bishop Domenico de Domenici (1478), a large altarpiece by Pietro Marone and the tombstone of Aurelio Duranti (1451).

The San Filastrio crypt, situated under the Old cathedral, is part of the original 8th century basilica and is open to visitors.

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SANTA MARIA DELLA CARITÀ

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THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

VIA MUSEI

The church, initially dedicated to Mary Magdalene, was built in the 16th century and rebuilt about 100 years later.

More changes were carried out in the 1700s when sculptures and frescoes were added to its facade.

In 1825 the works came to completion with the hoisting of the cross on the cupola. During the second half of the 1600s the 14th century image of the Vergine dei Terragli (also known as Madonna della CaritĂ ) was set over the magnificent main altar.

The painting was originally owned by the monastery of San Girolamo and was said to have miraculous powers. Inside the altar there is a chapel which is a faithful rendering of the Santa Casa in the sanctuary of Loreto.

The works were completed in 1825.

The church, recently restored, is also known to the people of Brescia as the Chiesa del Buon Pastore.

The exterior is austere with a beautiful portal and two Egyptian columns recovered from the Early Christian

basilica of S. Pietro de Dom (demolished in the 1600s to build the Duomo Nuovo).

Its octagonal interior is enriched with stuccoes, frescoes and decorations which together with the polychrome marble floor has a stunning scenic impact.

The church as a whole is a magnificent example of the city’s Baroque period.

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SAN FAUSTINO IN RIPOSO 10

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VIA MUSEI, SOTTO PORTA BRUCIATA

THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

The external facade of the church has a conical roof made from terracotta tiles which is visible from the small piazza behind the church.

The name of the church derives from an ancient legend about a stop of the procession during the 9th century carrying the bodies of Saints Faustino and Giovita to the church of San Faustino Maggiore.

The two bodies miraculously sweated blood and, in a sign of devotion, local citizens erected the chapel.

The church was erected at the end of the 12th century on the ruins of a former chapel. It has a circular plan rebuilt in the ‘700s and’ 800s.

The altarpiece above the main altar by Domenico Romani (1743) depicts the Virgin Mary with Jesus between the Saints Faustino and Giovita.

There are numerous votive offerings and in the left chapel there is an image of the Virgin Mary particularly dear to popular Brescia devotion.

The exterior architecture is quite original, with a cylindrical stone body covered by a truncated cone roof resting on a

cylindrical bell-tower with four small double-arched windows and a pinnacle also decorated with terracotta.

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PIAZZETTA S. GIORGIO

THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

Established in the second half of the thirteenth century and retouched during the Baroque period, the church remained closed to the public for several decades of the twentieth century, and was only reopened after a radical restoration project, at the beginning of 2010.

It still contains numerous and important fragments of the original thirteenth century painted decoration, as well as Baroque frescoes dating from the seventeenth century, whereas all the paintings are now on display in the nearby Diocesan Museum of Brescia. Currently used as a meeting room and conference hall, it is still a consecrated church.

The current structure was built from the second half of the thirteenth century by the Franciscan Order.

From the end of the

sixteenth century, the church was used by the Confraternity of Santa Maria della Misericordia, a charitable brotherhood established to support prisoners condemned to death, which had originally been based in the church of Sant’Agostino al Broletto.

This same confraternity was responsible for the Baroque redecoration of the church between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Externally, the theatrical double ramp access staircase was restored in 1639, whereas the facade dates from seventeenth century. Like many religious orders, the Confraternity was suppressed at the beginning of the nineteenth century, signalling the beginning of the abandonment of the church, which would become definitive by the early part of the twentieth century.

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VICOLO SAN GIUSEPPE, 5

THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

Between 1519 and 1580 the Order of Friars Minor built a new monastery with a church with typical Renaissance features on the remains of a the church near Torrelunga (Brescia) that had been destroyed during the sack of 1512.

In the church, the wide barrel vault of the central nave with its gorgeous geometric decoration is supported by eight massive columns and gives the whole building a strong sense of space.

The altars are dedicated to the arts and crafts, while the tombs contain the remains of famous figures such as Benedetto Marcello and Gasparo da Salò (inventor of the violin).

The facade, with three lantern-shaped pinnacles, is embellished by three sixteenth-century portals. Among the three central aisles stands an elevated presbytery which rests on a raised passage built in 1978 above an alley to the north of the building. The most striking features in the presbytery are the inlaid chorus by Clemente Zamara (1500) and the organ by Graziadio and Costanzo Antegnati (1581), which has preserved its exceptional acoustic characteristics.

The church has ten chapels each side, with numerous paintings, mostly from the eighteenth century. The frescoes by the Romanino School have recently been discovered at the end of the aisles and in two panels on the side walls.

On the west side of the church there are two cloisters with entrance from Piazza San Giuseppe, both with frescoes from the 17th and 18th centuries of subjects associated with the Franciscan order.

The convent of San Giuseppe hosts the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art and the Museum of liturgical textiles since 1978, with works from churches and institutions or donated by individuals, mostly sacred items, large paintings, sculptures and applied art objects.

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VICOLO MANZONE, 7

The church was built 1429 and 1475 and later restored in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Its facade is in Romanic/Gothic style, Renaissance windows framed with polychrome terracotta and a finely carved portal showing in the centre lunette a fresco by Floriano Ferramola depicting the Annunciation.

From the picturesque and multi-ethnic via San Faustino visitors can admire the beautiful retreating line of the church spires. The interior is decorated with frescoes by Tomaso Sandrini, Bernardino Gandino, Camillo Rama, Antonio Gandino il Vecchio and Giacomo Barucco, as well as by paintings by Vincenzo Foppa, Pietro Marone, Antonio Cappello, Francesco Giugno, Bagnadore (or Pietro Marone)

and Palma the Younger. The seventh chapel, now converted into a sacristy has kept its original architectonic features as well as its 15th century frescoes. In the chapel on the left is displayed a 15th century wood sculpture of the PietĂ attributed to Guido Mazzoni. The church organ was built in the mid-16th century

by Antegnati. On the end wall of the church there is a huge painting of the Annunciation by Pietro de Witte, known as il Candido (15th century).

A monumental altar houses a small but much revered image of the Madonna delle Brine, which, according to the legend, was painted by St. Luke Evangelist.

From a small courtyard behind the apse visitors can access a chapel decorated with frescoes by Ferramola and Vincenzo Civerchio.

The three cloisters (the smallest and the oldest built in the 1400s and the southernmost in the 1500s can be visited by entering from vicolo dell’Anguilla.

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THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

VIA SAN FAUSTINO

Dedicated to the Patron Saints of the city Faustino and Giovita, the current building dates back to 1622 and has undergone many misfortunes: perhaps destroyed by a fire, it was rebuilt by Bishop Anfrido in 806 (when the bodies of the two saints were moved), then it underwent thorough restoration until it was finally demolished to make room for the present church, whose work began in 1622 by Antonio and Domenico Comin.

The beautiful facade, decorated with niches casing the statues of the Patron Saints, was built in 1711 by Santo Callegari the Older. Inside, the vast rectangular room is divided into three naves; in the vault of the central nave, Tommaso Sandrini created spectacular illusionistic ceiling paintings. On the lateral walls of the presbytery stand out the magnificent works (1745-51) of Gian Domenico Tiepolo,

which evoke (on the right) the Martyrdom of the Saints Faustino and Giovita, and (in front) the Apparition of the Patron Saints during the siege of Brescia of 1438.

In the majestic main altar the relics of the above saints are preserved in a marble tomb adorned with allegorical figures by Antonio Carra (1623). The artistic heritage of the church includes the processional banner by Girolamo Romanino (The Resurrection of the Christ, the Saints Apollonius and Faustino and Giovita) and the altarpiece of the Nativity by Lattanzio Gambara.

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This ancient church was founded in the 4th century by St. Gaudenzio, Bishop of Brescia.

The still extant original parts of the church are the facade with two ogival arches, the remains of noble tombs and the apse, while the portal dates back to the 16th century and further renovations date back to the 1700s.

Inside there are three naves (although there were five originally) with exquisite paintings by local artists, while the sacristy hosts the portrait of a priest attributed to Giacomo Ceruti called the Pitocchetto. There are also works by Moretto such as 11 paintings in the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento, along with those by Romanino, both masters of the Renaissance in Brescia.

The church preserves important works of art: on the first altar to the right there is the Assumption by Francesco Paglia, on the third the Massacre of the Innocents

by Moretto (1531), and in the chapel after the fourth altar the Virgin Mary and Child, repainted by Moretto and framed by a richly decorated marble frame by Alessandro Callegari.

The presbytery houses a wooden crucifix of the Brescia school (1480) with several works by Moretto. On the right opens the sacristy which houses numerous paintings.

Next to the chapel of Santa Maria, in the left transept, there is the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament which houses

a remarkable pictorial complex with paintings by Romanino and Moretto, with whom the church canons signed a contract in 1521, entrusting each painter one of the two walls. Moretto painted on the right one while Romanino on the left one. Both paint cycles are characterized by a strong plasticity and a distinct brightness.

The church preserves two other works by Romanino: his early Madonna with Child and Saints, above the fourth altar on the left and the Marriage of the Virgin on the left wall of the baptistery.

On the right side of the church there is an elegant double loggia cloister dating back to around 1487.

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VIA DELLE GRAZIE, 13

When the people of Brescia mention the “Madonna delle Grazie” they refer to a place dear to their heart, full of history, art and faith.

The place is a monumental complex consisting of the Basilica, a sanctuary connected with the former by a cloister and an old monastery (part of which has now been converted into a state school). Visitors are stunned by the beauty of the carved stone portal with its wooden doors (probably by Filippo Morari da Soresina, ca. 1490). The austere Renaissance facade is in contrast with the Baroque interior and the stucco and

fresco decorations (about 350 tables) have and an impressive overall effect.

The vault of the nave is painted with frescoes by Francesco Giugno and the walls are enriched by paintings by masters such Pietro Rosa, Palma il Giovane, Moretto, Bagnadore, Grazio Cossali, Fiammenghino, frà Tiburzio Baldini, Antonio Paglia and Paolo da Caylina.

In the centre of the cloister, supported by ionic columns and tall pedestals, there is a small fountain with a bronze statue of the Virgin Mary by Sante Callegari.

Votive offerings (ex-voto) are displayed on the church walls.

The sanctuary in the western wing of the cloister was built over the ruins of the 12th century church of the Umiliati. It was rebuilt in 1876 by architect Antonio Tagliaferri in 14th century style and is decorated with frescoes by Modesto Faustini and Cesare Bertolotti.

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VIA PACE

Commenced in 1720, the church was consecrated in 1746 by bishop Angelo Maria Querini.

Whereas the facade remained unfinished, the inside should be considered one of the most wholesome works of art (not just of Brescia) of the 700’s, a masterpiece of the Venetian architect Giorgio Massari.

The nave unfolds longitudinally and is centered by the dome and the large

lateral chapels below; the succession one after the other of the pillars confers a peculiar solemnity to the ambient, while the valuable frescoed decorations with figures and ornaments does not subdue the architectural solutions.

Altar pieces dating back to the 700’s, with images of saints pertaining to the worship of Mary, are situated within monumental marble altars, adorned with statues by Antonio Callegari. The Presentation in the Temple on the main altar is particularly remarkable, a work of a lead protagonist of the Roman painting scene of the time, Pompeo Batoni, and was gifted to the Church of the Peace in 1747.

The large sacristy adjacent to the church is noteworthy, with its precious heritage of furnishings and ecclesiastical vests.

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THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

VIA F.LLI CAIROLI

Of the original convent of Saint Augustine, the bell tower with its shape typical of the 12th century has survived to present day, while the facade (with horizontal stripes in stone and terracotta) of the church, rebuilt in the 400’s was covered by other buildings, leaving the pinnacles in terracotta toward the West visible.

The entrance to the facade dating back to the 700’s opens toward Cairoli street.

The inside was frescoed starting in 1747, with architectural perspectives in baroque style. Numerous remarkable works of art are preserved in it, such as the main altar (18th century) made of

multicolored marble, with the statues

by Antonio Callegari on the sides of the altar piece and, next to it, the Ark of Saint Titian dating back to the early 500’s.

In the 14th century cloister, referred to as the Memorial Cloister, since 1923, by the will of the Brescian poet Angelo Canossi, the names of Brescian victims of war are inscribed on the pillars.

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VIA SAN FRANCESCO

The complex dedicated to San Francesco dates to the thirteenth century and was extended in the fourteenth century (with the addition of the lateral chapels, the presbytery and the cloister). The Romanesque facade made from medolo (a specific type of stone) and the western wall remain from the original building.

The bell tower dates to the end of the thirteenth century, with Roman double windows surmounted by Gothic windows.

Inside, on the right hand side, we find the remains of the original medieval fresco decoration (early fourteenth century): in particular, scenes of a Universal Judgement, a PietĂ which seems to take inspiration from Giotto and a School of Theology which evokes the teaching work of the friars. There are also exquisite paintings by il Moretto and il Romanino

as well as Pietro Rosa, Francesco di Prato da Caravaggio, Pietro Avogadro, Pier Maria Bagnadore, Angelo Paglia, Francesco Maffei, Ottavio Amigoni, Pietro Ricchi known as il Lucchese and Giuseppe Tortelli. The high altar is in marble (1480 approximately) and its construction is attributed to il Tamagnino da Porlezza.

The polygonal apse takes the shape of an umbrella (Antonio Zurlengo, 1493) and contains frescoes from the early sixteenth century, probably by the Brescian Andrea Bembo. The choir contains 22 wooden stalls, with geometric mother of pearl inlay, probably the work of Filippo Morari da Soresina (1493).

The Immaculate Conception chapel, in the centre of the left nave, has a ridondante polychromatic marble balustrade and is the largest chapel in the church. It was frescoed by Giambattista Sassi and Antonio Cucchi after the architectural renovations in the eighteenth century; the inlaid Virchi stalls date to 1548-1553.

In another chapel we find a Crucifix on wood, an exquisite painting of the Lombard school dating from 1350 with a seventeenth century frame. The GothicLombard cloister decorated in terracotta and stone (1393), the work of Guglielmo Frizzoni da Campione, leads to the chapter house, with a ceiling in the shape of a star with eight points, decorated with frescoes from the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries.

The sacristy leads to the fifteenth century Cloister of the Madonna.

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THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

Built between 1752 and 1780 to a design by Giuseppe Zinelli and Antonio Marchetti, the church has an imposing facade, made even more evident by the Corinthian columns which support the triangular tympanum and balustrade.

The seven marble statues are the work of the artist Citterio.

The vestibule contains fragments of the sepulchre of Altobello Averoldi (1522) and two organ covers painted by Paolo da Caylina the Younger. The lateral altars are decorated with paintings by Moretto, Antonio Gandino, Giovan Battista Pittoni, Antonio Zanchi, Giuseppe Tortelli and statues by Antonio Callegari.

The sacristy is worth a visit to see the Adoration of the Magi by Romanino on an organ cover and a triptych attributed to Paolo da Caylina the Elder. On the end wall of the presbytery is the Averoldi polytych, five paintings by the young Titian (1522) which have been perfectly restored.

The painting is in a marble frame by Vantini. Next to the left lateral door, we find cenotaphs for bishops Riario and Ducco (1522) and Maffeo Olivieri. Next to the church is the manse (accessible from via Bronzetti 5), with frescoes by Floriano Ferramola (1516).

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The church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli was built at the end of the fifteenth century.

The miraculous image of the Madonna is now kept in the apse. The facade is decorated with very elegant sculptures (the work of Giangasparo Pedoni), in Botticino marble alternating with marbles of other shades, an authentic masterpiece of the Brescian Renaissance.

Fortunately, the building escaped world war two bombing which destroyed the surrounding area. I n the sixteenth century the church underwent some redecoration by various architects, each making their own unique contribution: after Jacopo

followed Lamberti, Girolamo da San Pellegrino, Lodovico Beretta, Giovan Maria Piantavigna and Jacopo Fostinelli da Bornato.

The cupolas were completed in the eighteenth century.

The interior is on a square design and contains sculptures by Gaspare da Coirano and Antonio della Porta known as il Tamagnino. There are also paintings by Bagnadore, Tomaso Bona, Pietro Marone, Grazio Cossali, Domenico Romani, Enrico Albricci, Francesco Giugno.

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This church also has ancient origins.

It was extended in 1458 by building a bridge out over the Garza River to create the area where the presbytery is located today and over the years it has undergone many renovations.

In particular, in the eighteenth century a cornice was added over the portal, surmounted by statutes by Antonio Callegari (1739).

There is lovely polychrome terracotta decoration on the outside of the apse.

Inside, there are frescoes by Pompeo Ghitti, Pietro Antonio Sorisene, Pietro Marone and Pietro Avogadro as well as paintings by Antonio Gandino, Marco Richiedei, Ottavio Amigoni, Antonio Pellegrini, Giuseppe Tortelli, Sante Cattaneo and other sixteenth century artists such as Pietro Marone (his Crucifixion hangs in the sacristy).

To the side of the entry to the sacristy is a marble Deposition, dating to the middle of the fifteenth century.

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VIA MORETTO

The current church was built between 1751 and 1763 by Domenico Corbellini and its interior is among the best examples of late Baroque architecture in Brescia.

In the nave there are splendid altars built with rare marbles, as well as the main altar and that of the Madonna della Provvidenza (with cherubs sculpted by Antonio Callegari).

The marbles come from the nearby quarries of Rezzato and Botticino and were carved by craftsmen in situ.

The facade is high and slender, divided into two orders: the lower order is Corinthian, with semi-protruding columns and lesenes which convey movement, while the upper one is quite simple, without capitals and with plain and yet elegant moulding.

The facade bears also two smaller lateral wings, very low compared to the verticality of the central part, which are almost inconspicuous when viewing the front as a whole.

The two wings have side entrances; the

portals are surmounted by a rectangular tympanum and a false balustrade decorated with marble flower pots and a cupid in the centre.

The interior is large and welcoming, dominated by yellow-ochre hues covering every surface of both the walls and the ceiling.

The plant has a single nave enriched by the movement given by outthrusting pillars and by the side chapels.

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SANT’ALESSANDRO 25

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CORSO CAVOUR - VIA MORETTO

THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

of considerable diameter supporting an entablature with an overhanging tympanum in the shape of a broken triangle.

The central portal is carved in marble from Botticino.

The interior, the result of the restoration works carried out in the 1700s, is a single-nave longitudinal plan with lunette windows on each of the side chapels.

The vault stops in line with the main altar opening into a cupola then starting again and ending over the choir.

The nave and the presbytery are divided by a sacred arch which interrupts the vault over the nave.

The church was consecrated in 1466, restored in 1784 and its facade was completed only in 1891.

The single-nave interior looks very recent but has important works of art among which a series of paintings depicting the Annunciation attributed to Jacopo Bellini.

It faces the namesake square with a fountain. The facade is in the style of a classical temple with four columns

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SANT’ANGELA MERICI 26

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THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

VIA CRISPI

This church has been known by many different names. Originally, on the site of the earliest Christian martyrdoms, this was known as the chapel of San Faustino ad sanguinem; later, the church was extended and in the thirteenth century it became Sant’Afra.

This church (currently underground and supported by reinforced concrete) was overbuilt in 1580 by Pier Maria Bagnadore and destroyed in bombings in 1945 before being rebuilt with a new dedication to Sant’Angela.

The church contains a polyptych by Paolo

da Caylina the Younger and sixteenth century paintings by well known artists such as Vincenzo Civerchio, Francesco da Ponte known as il Bassano, Bartolomeo Passarotti, Bagnadore, Pietro Marone and Carlo Caliari, as well as a Transfiguration

by Jacopo Tintoretto.

Paintings by Giacomo Barucco, Giulio Cesare Procaccini and Palma the Younger date to the early seventeenth century.

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SANT’AFRA IN SANT’EUFEMIA 23

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THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

CORSO MAGENTA, 68

The church was rebuilt in 1460 by Benedictine monks and at the beginning of the sixteenth century Teofilo Folengo, a humanist and a Benedictine monk, lived here. The current building is the work of architect Domenico Carboni.

In 1774, the monk Pietro Faita extended the area of the church surrounding the high altar and restored the ancient crypt.

The marble facade dates from 1776. The interior has a single nave with three cha-

pels on each side carved into the thick walls. The vaults contain architectural elements by Pietro Ferrari and Antonio Grassi, with three medallion paintings by the artist Sante Cattaneo. Sant’Afra contains paintings by Paolo Caliari known as il Veronese, Palma the Younger, Camillo Rama, Pietro Moro, Pompeo Ghitti, Enea Salmeggia. The sacristy is built inside a gothic chapel; the crypts contains traces of fifteenth century frescoes and a fresco fragment (Madonna) attributed to Vincenzo Civerchio along the stairs.

The transept and the presbytery are decorated with frescoes by Carlo Carloni, inside frames by Antonio Massa (1760).

The wooden choir stalls (the seating area for choristers or cantors which was often a single structure attached to the organ) is by Facchetti and dates to 1540.

The high altar, which contains the urn of San Paterio, is by Antonio Callegari (1750). The wooden choir was created by the Montanino brothers and dates to the seventeenth century.

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SANTA MARIA IN CALCHERA 15

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THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

VIA TOSIO

While the facade of the church preserves its sober appeal typical of the late 500’s, the inside was renovated in the 700’s.

On the second altar to the right is the Mass of Saint Apollonius (around 1525), a work of Romanino; next to the presbytery, the Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine, a work of Luca Mombello, an apprentice of the Moretto; and on the main altar, the Visit of Mary to Elizabeth (1525), a work of Callisto Piazza from Lodi.

On the left, a masterpiece of the Moretto (around 1550) shines in all its beauty, the Dinner in the Home of Levi, the Pharisee.

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SAN CLEMENTE 9

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VICOLO SAN CLEMENTE

THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

This very ancient church was modified in the fifteenth century and again in the seventeenth century and transformed internally in 1840 by Rodolfo Vantini, a Brescian engineer and architect (1792-1856). The monastery was restored at the beginning of the the seventeenth century, but today only the cloisters remain (one of which is accessible from the Saleri nursery in via Trieste 31).

Inside, we find numerous works by the

Brescian artist Moretto, who lived nearby, and exquisite paintings by il Romanino and Benedetto Mora, frescoes by Foppa and Lattanzio Gambara and a wooden Crucifix by Jacopo Medici. In the rosary chapel (frescoes by Pietro Zaist and decorations by Pietro Scotti) is a marble altar by Antonio Callegari.

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SAN ZENO AL FORO 22

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THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

PIAZZA DEL FORO

All that remains of the original church of San Zeno is the polygonal apse (twelfth century) in terracotta, decorated with small arches.

The entire structure was rebuilt in around 1745.

The current building is of eighteenth century origin with a small outer churchyard ringed by an artistic iron railing, with marble pilasters surmounted by cherubs and pairs of dolphins with entwined tails. The four chapels each contain paintings by Antonio Paglia dating from 1741.

The high altar, surmounted by an exquisite tabernacle decorated with lapis lazuli and precious stones seems to be

embraced by a delicate and elaborate wrought iron balustrade. The choir stalls (where the priests would sit) date to the eighteenth century and are decorated with scenes from the life of San Zeno the bishop.

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SAN CRISTO 28

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THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

VIA PIAMARTA, 9

Few people are aware that, just a short walk from the Santa Giulia Museum, there lies a hidden treasure which has been defined as Brescia’s Sistine Chapel...

The church is part of a convent complex

built towards the end of the fifteenth century over previously existing religious buildings, surmounting the Roman theatre. The simple facade in terracotta includes a marble portal with ornamental bas reliefs and the coats of arms of the Martinengo families (which contributed to its construction).

Beneath the overhanging roof, we can still see traces of the Annunciation frescoed by il Moretto. The interior, with a single nave, is richly decorated with frescoes dating from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

Next to the church we find the convent, which is built around three cloisters; from the loggia of one of the cloisters a vast panorama opens over he city.

After the recent restoration of the ancient refectory, it is possible to admire Romanino’s fresco of the Last Supper, remounted as a painting.

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SAN PIETRO IN OLIVETO 21

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THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

VIA PIAMARTA

Immersed in the greed of the Cidneo hill, this church forms part of the Carmelite convent complex, close to the Castle.

The sixteenth century facade was created by the Comacina architect Antonio Medaglia in light Botticino stone with statues of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul placed in niches. The harmonious interior in Renaissance style, with the nave flanked by chapels introduced by columns with bas relief arcades, ends

with a choir decorated with some large paintings (1566) by the Brescian painter Ricchino.

The mezzaluna above the organ contains an interesting painting by Andrea Celesti (1690-1700).

From the small eastern loggia, next to the two sixteenth century choirs, you can admire the panorama of the city and the view of the plains which stretch as far as the horizon.

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MUSEO DIOCESANO 7

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VIA GASPARO DA SALÃ’, 13

THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

The permanent collections of the Diocesan Museum, situated on the first floor, are divided into four sections dedicated to painting and sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, sacred goldsmith works, and the liturgical texture.

In the section dedicated to painting and sculpture, the works of artists from the Brescian and Venetian area are exhibited.

A masterpiece of the Venetian 300’s is the Madonna with Child by Paolo Veneziano; the Polyptych of Saint Ursula by Antonio Vivarini dates back to the middle of the following century. The local 500’s are well represented by works of primary Brescian painters: Alessandro Bonvicino known as “the Moretto,” Girolamo Romanino, and Pietro Maria Bagnatore. The sketch of the Transfiguration made for the church of Saint Afra in Brescia is a work of Jacopo Tintoretto; a Face of Christ painted on stone is attributed to the workshop of Titian. The local 600’S and 700’s have their major exponents in the works of Giuseppe Tortelli, Gian Antonio Capello, Pietro Avogadro, and Francesco Savanni.

The Venetian line is represented by Andrea Celesti (Madonna with Child and

the Saints Anna, James the Major, and Benedict), Francesco Capella known as “the Daggiù” (Rebekah at the Well), Gian Battista Pittoni (Madonna with Child and the Saints Leonard and Francis da Paola), and by Giambattista Tiepolo (The Baptism of Constantine). The section dedicated to the sacred goldsmith works counts artifacts dating back to the second half of the 15th century. Among the most prominent works are the Gambara Reliquary, a work of Roman silversmiths of the mid-16th century, in ebony and silver, and the Chalice of Pontevico, made of gold, silver, and precious stones, a work of the Milanese goldsmith Carlo Grossi. In the section dedicated to illuminated manuscripts, one can admire the collection of handwritten volumes that date back to the 12th century; especially important is the small book Rules of the Brotherhood of the Saints Faustino and Giovita of Collio, the first two sheets of which were entirely miniated by the Brescian native Floriano Ferramola. The section dedicated to the liturgical texture is one of the richest and most vast of Italy.

Samples of Venetian, Italian, and French artifacts dating back to the 15th century are preserved in it.

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COLLEZIONE PAOLO VI VIA GUGLIELMO MARCONI, 15 CONCESIO (BS)

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THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

The Collection of Paul VI, a new museum of the Association of Art and Spirituality, gathers and exhibits the heritage of seven thousand paintings, drawings, prints, medals, and sculptures from the 900’s that belonged to Giovanni Battista Montini (1897-1978), who became Pope Paul VI in 1963.

Among the authors represented in the Collection, the names of Matisse, Chagall, Picasso, Dalí, Magritte, Rouault, Severini, Morandi, Fontana, Manzù, Hartung, Guitton resonate: a witness to the thriving cultural exchange between the artists and the Pontiff and his secretary, Pasquale Macchi.

CASA NATALE OF PAPA PAOLO VI

activity. A friend of the humble and needy, a man of great charity and culture, surnamed “the archbishop of the workers” for his alertness to social and work issues, already when he was administering the Diocese of Milan.

Giovanni Battista Montini was elected to the Papal Office on June 21, 1963 with the name of Paul VI. A bright and humble man, permeated with a deep spirituality. Brescia remembers him with great affection, and his birth home in Concesio, is a frequently visited destination.

Via Rodolfo da Concesio, 24 - Concesio

Giovanni Battista Montini was born in Concesio (Brescia) on September 26, 1897.

In the city and province his remembrance is well alive, thanks to his powerful ministry and his coherent pastoral

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CERVENO’S VIA CRUCIS Strada Provinciale, 87 - Cerveno

MONASTERO SAN PIETRO IN LAMOSA Via Monastero, 5 - Provaglio d’Iseo

The most ancient nucleus of the Monastery of Saint Peter in Lamosa, in Provaglio of Iseo, possibly built in the place where a Roman temple to the God Mithras once stood, dates back to the 11th century. The building, from the height of its position (it stands atop a high ground belonging to the Morenic amphitheater od the Sabine), dominates the “blades” of the Torbiere, hence also its name, Lamosa (note: the word for “blade” in Italian is “lama”). With its stratified architectures, its prodigious series of frescoes, the complexity and variety of its sacred and secular spaces, this monument ends up narrating the tale of a thousand years of history, both local and European.

ABBAZIA SAN NICOLA Via Brescia, 83 - Rodengo Saiano

The Olivetan Abbey of Rodengo Saiano is surely, from an artistic viewpoint, one of the most majestic and rich religious complexes in Northern Italy. Founded by the Monks of Cluny before 1050, it was established at an important Roman crossroads which led to the city, and served as a place for lodging and refreshment to pilgrims on their journey to Rome.

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THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the American writer Edith Wharton wrote about it in her Italian Backgrounds: it is Beniamino Simoni’s Via Crucis, a sequence of “tableaux vivants” made up of wood and plaster with a rare dramatic force, 198 life-sized multicolour statues that can be seen in the parish church in Cerveno, in Valle Camonica.

Many other writers wrote about Simoni’s Via Crucis (from Giovanni Testori to Fiorella Minervino), without considering the recent moving film by Elisabetta Sgarbi.

Every ten years, on a Sunday in May, Cerveno’s inhabitants propose a live performance of the Passion.

BASILICA OF SAN LORENZO

Via Cavour, 21 - Verolanuova

The laying of the first stone of the Basilica occurred on August 10, 1633, upon the collective decision of the population, the clergy, and the fore-figures of the family of the Gambara Counts.

With the commencement of its construction, which is of architectural interest due to its peculiar conception, the solemn vote came into effect expressed by the Verolese population during their tragic experience of the plague of 1630, and at the same time, the persistent urges of the Cardinal Borromeo (Saint Charles) to his cousin Gambara during the pastoral visit of 1580, to heed to the growing need for worship and the dignity of the provost.

The merit of the Gambara patrons was that of having chosen the best artists of their time, among which Giovanni Battista Tie­polo (1696- 1770), with his airy biblical scenes of extreme relevance: The Sacrifice of Melchisedec and the Fall of the Manna in 1740 AD.

THE GARDA ROMANICO Traces of the Romanic style on the Garda Lake are countless: we start our visits in Sirmione, one of the symbolic locations on the lake: here is the Church of Saint Peter in Mavino, built in medieval times, which preserves interesting frescoes inside. In Desenzano, an important port of the lake during the times of Imperial Rome, we point at the Benedictine Abbey of Maguzzano, which was erected close to a Roman road in the 5th century, certainly deserves a visit. Going further, in Toscolano Maderno, the Parish of Saint Andrew is worthy of note, one of the most interesting examples of Romanic art in Brescia, dating back to the 12th century, and built on the remains of a pre-existent Longobard structure.

Our tour ends with the Church of Saint Peter in Oliveto of Limone, among the most ancient Romanic churches in the territory, moving through the precious hints of Romanic art in Lonato, Padenghe, Bedizzole, Soiano, Polpenazze, Manerba, Gargnano, Tignale, and Tremosine.

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SANTUARIES AND VOTIVE CHAPELS IN VALLE TROMPIA

In Valle Trompia you can find a rich historical-artistic and archaeological heritage with religious aspects.

This heritage is the concrete demonstration of the local spirituality and you can see it in the numerous sanctuaries, in parish churches and votive chapels.

These buildings, expression of a simple popular religious faith, often stand on pre-Christians sites of worship or in places that evoke holiness (caves, springs, woods).

The itinerary “Sanctuaries and votive Chapels� brings together various local religious sites and the art treasures they contain (frescoes, paintings and wooden

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THE CHURCHES OF BRESCIA

sculptures), attributed to great Brescian artists, such as Romanino, Moretto and Foppa.

One can enjoy both individual visits and guided tours. It is also possible to participate in organised activities of various kinds.

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DIOCESI DI BRESCIA Ufficio pastorale turismo e pellegrinaggi

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