How many places in Milan can boast a connection to a saint and serve as a beacon of hope? That honor belongs to the Chiesa della Madonna della Salute. It stands gracefully at Piazza San Camillo. The church sits at the corner of Via Boscovich and Via Lepetit.
Let’s step back in time. In 1594, Saint Camillo de Lellis arrived in Milan. Archbishop Gaspare Visconti summoned him to care for the sick at Ospedale Ca’ Granda. Camillians dedicated themselves to assisting the dying. They were forced to leave Milan in 1800 due to Napoleonic suppressions. However, they returned in 1896. Cardinal Andrea Carlo Ferrari invited them back. They couldn’t reclaim their former church of Santa Maria della Sanità. So, they decided to build a new one. This new church would honor the Madonna della Salute. Monsignor Spirito Maria Chiappetta designed it.
Cardinal Ferrari blessed the first stone on January 1, 1900. The Chiesa della Madonna della Salute was inaugurated on July 15, 1912. Cardinal Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster consecrated it on October 30, 1937. This act solidified the church’s place in Milan’s spiritual landscape.
The Chiesa della Madonna della Salute’s neo-Gothic style is striking. The upper part features smooth plaster. The lower part displays exposed brick. A brick spire-campanile rises from the center of the facade. It has white marble buttresses and niches. The portal is brick too. Note the large trifora windows with columns. Admire the marble rosettes.
Look at the central structure. Four spires and white cement arches create an elegant harmony. Six Carrara marble statues stand on the exterior brackets. Mario Pelletti crafted these statues.
Inside, the Chiesa della Madonna della Salute is illuminated by vibrant colors. These colors come from the 123 stained glass windows. The artist Eugenio Cisterna created them. Saint figures are displayed. Symbols and decorations add to the ambiance. San Camillo is featured in the large tribune window and over the altar.
The central nave feels expansive. The side aisles are narrower with elegant tribunes above. These have pierced parapets. Intricate fan-shaped triforiums sit on top. Twelve pink Garda marble columns support the structure. They have unique plaster capitals. Slender ribs rise from these capitals. The ribs intertwine and branch out across the vault. They converge at the tiburio. It frames the Madonna della Salute stained glass window.
Along the walls, you will see the wooden Stations of the Cross. Fratel Annibale Pagnoni of Monza sculpted over 500 figures for them. To the right is the altar of the Madonna del Carmelo. Opposite is the altar of Saint Jude Thaddeus. Further along on the right is the altar of San Camillo. The altar of the Sacred Heart is on the left.
The modern main altar sits in a large apse. Above is the Chapel of the Madonna della Salute. It features a Gothic gilded wooden altar. The church also houses a Tamburini pipe organ built in 1952. It has two 61-note keyboards and a 32-note pedalboard.
The Chiesa della Madonna della Salute is more than a beautiful building. It is a symbol of faith. It represents the dedication of the Camillian order. They came to Milan to care for the sick. This church stands as a testament to their enduring legacy. It reminds us of their unwavering commitment to those in need.