Why book a guided tour in Milan to admire the Church of San Maurizio?
In Milan, Corso Magenta is especially famous among the younger crowd for its various bars and tasty little restaurants, but that’s not all: it is not far from Sempione Park and Castello Sforzesco and is surrounded by the elegance of Milan’s downtown buildings.
But perhaps not everyone knows that the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie, known for the famous Cenacolo Vinciano, is not the only point of interest in the surrounding area: in fact, right at Corso Magenta 15 is home to the beautiful Church of San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore.
Beautiful? Yes, because in this case stopping at appearance is really a mistake: while the exterior facade of the church may seem austere and sober, let the interior surprise you, because the “wow” effect is assured.
In fact, the Church of San Maurizio al Monastero is nicknamed the “Sistine Chapel” of Milan. Why? It seems clear, if when you walk through the entrance you raise your eyes to look at the marvelous 16th-century frescoes, but not only.
A riot of beauty awaits you among the splendid chapels, thepipe organ, the sumptuousness of thehigh altar, and the pictorial masterpieces dedicated to the story of Christ and Christian saints by Bernardino Luini and his sons.
An opulence that contrasts with the simplicity of the exterior. In fact, the monastery attached to the church has medieval origins, and the church building we see today was built in the early sixteenth century, for the townspeople and the cloistered nuns who inhabited the monastery at the time and who, in the church, found space in the so-called Nun’s Choir.
The interior decorations, much damaged over the centuries, were restored starting in the 1980s: in particular, it was thanks to the patronage of the Banca Popolare di Milano that the restoration, which continued until 2015, was completed so that none of those treasures were lost or ruined.
Here are two not-to-be-missed tours, one to take part in online and one to experience in presence in the heart of the Ambrosian capital, designed for you by the Neaide Tour & Events team to discover the treasures of the Church of San Maurizio al Monastero and fall in love with it!
A guided tour to discover the Church of San Maurizio in Milan
Milan’s “Sistine Chapel,” between history and curiosities
The capital is a riot of monuments and works of inestimable artistic, as well as historical and cultural, value, but among these a place of honor belongs to the splendid Sistine Chapel, famous for its gigantic fresco, the work of Michelangelo, of the Last Judgment and its fully decorated ceiling.
Yet, perhaps few people know that even the city of Milan can boast of its own “Sistine Chapel,” so called because of the magnificence of the ornaments and the contribution of skilled artists who worked here: just think, for example, of the cycles of frescoes created by the workshop of Bernardino Luini with biblical episodes and the life of Christ, among which the beautiful fresco of Noah’s Ark stands out.
Guided tour of the Church of San Maurizio, a masterpiece of sixteenth-century Lombardy
Do you have a chance to take a tour in Milan? Very well, in this case the guided tour will take place in presence at the magnificent San Maurizio Church in Corso Magenta 15!
In the company of an expert guide, you will admire the cycles of frescoes of the Leonardo and Luini school still preserved inside, but that’s not all: you will be told about the ancient events of the church and monastery, as well as the most recent restoration work conducted on the architectural complex, a treasure of the Renaissance in Milan.
You will be enraptured by the splendor of the works of Bernardo Luini and his Besozzi Chapel, frescoed between 1522 and 1529 with the cycle of St. Catherine of Alexandria…
In this regard you will also discover the legend that the saint’s face is that of the Countess of Challant, the “merry widow” of the Ambrosian capital well known at that time.
And again, you can admire the meticulousness with which Aurelio Luini painted his Noah’s Ark and the details of the exotic animals, including tigers, giraffes, and even unicorns!
If you think the Castello Sforzesco and the Last Supper are the only noteworthy testimonies of sixteenth-century Milan, you should definitely think again: Milan is a fascinating city, where next to religious buildings justly famous for their beauty-first and foremost, the magnificent Duomo-are hidden others that are far more “secret”: pay attention because once you have discovered them they will certainly leave you breathless.
Dedicated tours of St. Maurice Church with guides from Neiade Tour & Events are an opportunity not to be missed. What are you waiting for to book?
