San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, central nave
In Corso Magenta the what was the largest and oldest former Milanese female convent dating from the sixteenth century can be found. It was partly demolished over the period between 1864-72 to allow via Luini and via Ansperto to be opened. In 1943 the Church underwent further damage, leaving only the Church of San Maurizio the cloister near the entrance which is now an integral part of the "Civico Museo Archeologico" (the Civic Archaeological Museum) situated in part of the ancient monastery and the crypt now incorporated in the Archaeological Museum visitors' itinerary.Building work on the Church of San Maurizio was begun in 1503 probably according to an idea of Gian Giacomo Dolcebuono (the architect who had contributed to the realization of the "tiburio" or structure enclosing the cupola of the Duomo). The façade erected in 1574-81 was only completed in 1896 while the flank giving on to via Luini was put in order in 1872 by Angelo Colla.
Three floors divided by pilasters illuminated by three curved windows on the second floor and a round window at third floor level. The left hand side of the building recalls this architectural style.
The interior emphasises the characteristics of an enclosed religious order revealed by the clear-cut division between the space to the front for worship open to the faithful and the choir reserved for the Benedictine nuns lying behind. The plan of the Church is in fact, an extended rectangle divided into two distinct areas by a dividing wall separating the great hall used by the enclosed nuns from the smaller space for the lay faithful.
The building represents a sophisticated blend of neo-medieval structures with classical overtones. The hall is covered by a barrel vault intersected by false cross intersections. It rests on lunettes within which splayed rose windows diffuse spectacular rays of light. The other source of light comes from within the open gallery running laterally along the Hall on both sides of the partition in the nuns' enclosure as well as the area where churchgoers worship and contributes to the definition of volume and space. The recesses for chapels at the lower level were originally blind.
Access to the nuns' choir is from the third chapel on the left. The central part is occupied by a wooden choir attributed to Gian Giacomo Dolcebuono. In the middle of the left wall is a large and rarely found organ by Gian Giacomo Artegnati with panelled doors decorated in tempera colours by Francesco Medici.
Both environments are embellished with precious frescoes mainly the work of the sixteenth century Lombard artist Bernadino Luini and his sons Aurelio, Giovan Pietro and Evangelista. Piazza of Lodi, Simone Peterzano well known for being Caravaggio's "maestro", Antonio Campi and other master painters of sixteenth century Milan are also represented.
Luini's work includes the illustration of the story of St. Catherine in the third chapel on the right and the decorations on each side of the partition wall. On the part of the partition facing the choir the Passion of Christ (the ordeal of carrying the Cross to Calvary and the Deposition) is depicted. The round paintings of figures of saints found in the upper loggia, which can be reached by a staircase beyond the choir are attributed instead to Boltraffio.
On the inside façade frescoes by Peterzano of the Return of the Prodigal Son and the Expulsion of the Merchants from the Temple can be admired. The Epiphany placed above the main altar in 1578 is by Antonio Campi.
From the beginning the design was conceived as being enhanced and made even more memorable through very colourfully bedecked cornices, inscriptions and paintings. The first pictorial decorations of the newly constructed Church of San Maurizio carried out over the first ten years transformed the building into a sumptuous environment. The skilled experts who made a contribution proved to be abreast of their times as far as the most advanced cultural innovations of the time were concerned. On the walls of the loggia bunches of fruit-laden branches bound by heraldic ribbons stand out against the light blue of a tranquil sky and the vaults are embellished with imaginary rosettes, frames and a collection of Classical architectural ornaments. Their delicate interweaving accentuates the chromatic values of the whole, following the then fashionable trend among Central Italian painters of borrowing inspiration from the Neronian-era decorations of the Domus Aurea. The figures of saints depicted blend echoes of Lombard painters (Foppa, Bergognone, Boltraffio) with references to the art of Central Italy; Melozzo da Forlì comes to mind.
Some years later a second cycle of decorations was initiated. Although documentary evidence is lacking it is much easier in this case to identify the patrons and painters involved.
The person who commissioned the decorations on the sanctuary side of the partition wall was Alessandro Bentivoglio, son of Giovanni prince of Bologna. The nobleman, forced to flee in 1506 when his city was occupied by Pope Giulio IInd , took refuge in Milan where he assumed important political duties and took up residence in a palazzo that soon became a reference point for the city's most refined circles animated by the literary brilliance of his wife, Ippolita Sforza. The two portraits Bernadino Luini frescoed on the wall behind the altar capture this aspect of the couple's social role.
Most of the work relative to the third cycle of decorations was concentrated about 1555 and carried out by the Luini brothers. The frescoes in the Bergamina and Simonetta chapels in the main church for public worship confirm the date as does the Marriage of Cana in the upper register of the convent side of the partition wall as well as other works from the same period.
On the 4th of September 1554 the nuns' commissioned an organ from Giovan Giacomo Artegnati, who also built the organ in Milan's Duomo. It was fitted in the enclosure church in 1557.The sum of these interventions clearly demonstrate a radical change as far as the presentation of the edifice was concerned in deference to the dictates and strictures of the Council of Trent through transformation made necessary by the rigorous climate of renewal resulting from the backlash of the reformation.
In 1968 an anonymous bequest permitted restoration work on the frescoes to begin. The first interventions were aimed at treating and salvaging Bernadino Luini's frescoes on the sanctuary side of the transverse wall Other donations by individuals or associations have allowed restoration work to be carried out on the chapels of the public church, while the recent contribution of the Banca Popolare made it possible to restore the majority of the first fascia of frescoes of the convent hall which were once again available for the enjoyment of the appreciative Milanese public in June 2004. The most recent interventions have provided some precious information: for example, it turned out that the landscapes in the lateral recesses of the convent hall are the result of early 20th century interventions.
