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Rainy days aren’t usually fun days for tourists…especially when you are trying to go out and do some sightseeing! So, when I woke up from my nap in Milan and discovered that it was sprinkling a bit, what was I to do?
Grab an umbrella and raincoat and hit the streets, of course!
Since the weather forecast was not calling for the deluge to end any time that day, I reached into my bag of knowledge of local destinations and pulled out San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore.
Having researched this monastery a few times, I had also heard that it was not to be missed…and it was indoors! Perfect!
Reaching the metro station of Cadorna and consulting my map a few times, I was soon standing in front of the church’s unassuming gray stone facade on Corso Magenta.
Admittedly, it didn’t look like much.
Stepping through the doors, however, I must confess…my breath caught in my chest. An art lover’s dream, this church truly is magnificent. Being a person who has traveled the world and seen many religious institutions, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite as beautiful with masterpieces covering every inch of the walls, ceilings, side chapels and altar area. It was absolutely difficult to discern which way to cast your gaze.
The church, standing on the site of a former place of worship, was constructed in the beginning of the 1500’s and is adjoined to the convent of the Benedictine nuns, the oldest female monastery in Milan. The rectangular nave is divided by a partition into two sections. The front section, which you see when you enter, is intended for the congregation’s worship and filled with artwork by major sixteenth century Lombard artists such as Bernardino Luini, who worked with Leonardo da Vinci, and his sons, Paolo Lomazzo, Ottavio Semino, Callisto Piazza and Simone Peterzano. The carved wooden altar is graced by the renowned Adorazione dei Magi (Adoration of the Magi) by Antonio Campi above it, dating back to 1578, one of the most outstanding pieces of artwork in the building.
Checking with the attendant that it was okay to photograph the area, she then made sure that I saw a sign pointing to a doorway near the altar. The Hall of Nuns.
Already in awe of what I was seeing, I was not sure I wanted to continue on to another area of the structure. Entering the doorway into a great hall, again, I was dumbfounded.
The Hall of Nuns was unlike anything I had ever seen. The long nave, flanked on each side by the wooden nun’s choir loft was presided over by a massive and obviously quite valuable pipe organ, designed by Gian Giacomo Antegnati in 1554, in the monk’s choir. Beautifully sculpted, the gold detail of the facade is only outdone by the two shutters on each side painted in tempera by Franscesco Medici.
Walking through the gallery, I was overloaded by the expanse of compositions that filled every inch of the walls, niches and ceilings. Truly breathtaking! Looking upward at the starry sky, with God, the Evangelists and angels, I made my way throughout the space, through the hall and behind the nun’s choir, finding my way back to the partition separating the Hall of the Nuns from the main congregation. Here, images by Bernandino Luini, of St. Catherine, St. Agatha, the Marriage at Cana and the Carrying of the Cross of Christ are presented.
Reluctantly leaving the space, I found my way into the location that formerly housed the Benedictine convent. Now the domicile of the Milan Archaeological Museum, many Roman remains, statues and parts of the Roman Circus can be found here. Deciding to save this for another day, I made my way through the courtyard, quickly checking out the relics that lined the area and back into the rainy day.
Glancing back at the church, I couldn’t help but stop and feel glad that I had braved the elements and taken such an incredible and artistic walk through history.
Everyone wants to see the Duomo, but everyone should seek out Chiesa di San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore. Truly one of Milan’s gems!
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Chiesa di San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore
- http://www.turismo.milano.it/wps/portal/tur/en/arteecultura/architetturaemonumenti/abbaziechieseebasiliche/chiesa_di_san_maurizio_al_monastero_maggiore
- Address: Corso Magenta, 15, Milano
- Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 0930-1930
- Admission: free
- Getting There: Metro: MM1 (red line) Cairoli stop, MM2 (green line) Cadorna and Sant’Ambrogio stops. Tram: 16, 18, 19, bus number 50, 58, 94.
Riding the metro late in the afternoon, I eyed the many young people, dressed up for the Saturday night. Disembarking at the Porto Genova stop, we all made our way down to the main canal. Being a beautiful sunny day, there were masses of people spilling out from the scores of bars, restaurants and cafes that line the canal. Happy hour was underway and specials were advertised throughout the area, most offering drinks and accompanying appetizer buffets.
Tourists crowded on the the many bridges that span the canals, all clamoring to get that perfect selfie and other artwork was abound with countless galleries and signs pointing to courtyards showcasing local artists work. Design showrooms and temporary outdoor photography and art exhibits can be found throughout the area.
Palazzo Borromeo and Santa Maria Padone. Palazzo Borromeo was built in the late 14th century when the Florentine Borromeo family moved to Milan. Remodeled over the centuries and badly damaged during the air raids of 1943, it’s appearance today is not of its original construction. The square was created in 1440 following the demolition of a number of houses purchased by the Borromeo family to create a space linking the family palace with the 9th century parish church of Santa Maria Padone. The Romanesque church was transformed into a small basilica and a small family chapel was added in the 15th century.
Imperial Palace. Close to the circus, you can find the remains of the Roman Imperial Palace complex. Many different buildings were used privately and publicly by the Emperor as well as his court officials and the imperial bureaucracy. As in other Italian cities, the Emperor had direct access from his palace to the circus.
Entering through the main Famedio, a Neo Medieval style memorial chapel made of marble and stone, I first stopped to gaze upon the beautiful blue ceiling and the tomb of novelist, Alessandro Manzoni before making my way through each of the hallways. I particularly loved walking along the outer edges of the open-aired corridors so that I could admire the building’s architecture, the courtyard and the ornate tombs that line the area.
Before making my way into the cemetery’s immaculately groomed grounds, I then walked the full length of the building’s lower level, exiting at the center, where I could examine the map and the locations of the cemetery’s famous occupants. In this area is also a structure comprised of metal tubes and black and white stones centered with a small clay bowl placed inside the main formation. Surrounded by memorial plaques, I was informed by a fellow bystander that it is a monument to the 800 Italians who perished in Nazi concentration camps and the bowl was filled with soil from the Mauthausen concentration camp.
Wandering the grounds, through the avenues of trees, should be reserved for an unhurried pace as to absorb entire beauty of the surroundings and that’s just what I did. It was impossible not to want to stop and inspect each monument, so detailed and individualized were they. Many of the tombs and funerary monuments are of such an extravagant size, it is almost as through you are walking through a neighborhood of homes.
