The Basilica of St. Mary of the Passion

St. Mary of the Passion: between Renaissance and Baroque

Among the most important churches of the Milanese Renaissance, the basilica of Santa Maria della Passione presents itself to visitors in all its Renaissance elegance, complemented by a façade that speaks the architectural language, wavy and chiaroscuro, typical of the Baroque era. You will discover how the complex of Santa Maria della Passione, built at the end of the fifteenth century in the verdant grounds outside Porta Tosa, was strongly desired by the high prelate Daniele Birago, a member of a wealthy Milanese family linked to the Sforza court; the building site opened in 1486 under the banner of Bramante’s taste for centralized planimetric solutions, and then transformed over the years, pandering to the architectural fashions and trends that were becoming established in Mannerist Milan first and in Borromean Milan later.

Lombard painting takes center stage in the Basilica

The guided tour led by our art historical guides will allow you to appreciate the details and history of the monumental building, so that you can admire its countless treasures. Dim lights, the smell of burning candles: at every step, marvelous masterpieces of the Lombardian school of painting from the 16th and 17th centuries can be glimpsed on the walls of the naves, chapels and transept. Gaudenzio Ferrari, Lomazzo, Bernardino Luini, Panfilo Nuvolone, Daniele Crespi and Carlo Urbino are among the artists who lend value and beauty to this church in Milan with its timeless charm. The Chapter House of the ancient monastery that belonged to the Lateran Canons, decorated by Ambrogio Bergognone in the early 16th century, is the last, unmissable stop on the guided tour: once again open to visitors after its recent restoration, the room shows us a splendid parade of sacred figures, saints and popes, bathed in the crystal-clear light of the Lombard landscape.