Imagine an image of the Madonna del Latte. It’s considered miraculous. This is the heart of the Chiesa di Santa Maria Incoronata di Canepanova.
Welcome to this significant 16th-century monument. It stands on Via Defendente Sacchi in Pavia. Some say Giovanni Antonio Amadeo designed it. Others credit Donato Bramante. This church is a testament to faith. It is a blend of architectural vision.
Construction began in 1500. The first part finished in 1507. But the story starts earlier. In 1492 the Confraternita di Santa Maria Immacolata di Canepanova formed. This group raised funds for the church’s construction.
Giovanni Antonio Amadeo was at the height of his fame. He was overseeing the Milan Cathedral’s construction for Cardinal Ascanio Sforza. Bruno Adorni contests Amadeo’s role here. He suggests Bramante designed the church.
Why was this church built? It was to honor a 15th-century fresco. This fresco depicted the Madonna del Latte. It was on a house facade owned by the noble Canepanova family. They helped fund the project. That’s where the church got its name.
To the left of the entrance see a 17th-century painting. It shows Pope John XIV venerating the Madonna. He was from the Canepanova family. He became pope after serving as Pavia’s bishop in the 10th century. The inscription below tells of benefits and miracles granted by the Virgin’s image.
Another story speaks of Bona di Savoia or Isabella di Aragona. They prayed for Gian Galeazzo Sforza’s healing. This was before the image on the Canepanova palace wall.
A document in Milan’s State Archive tells of cutting the wall. It tells of the foundation ceremony. Viscardo di Canepanova placed the first stone. Two carafes stood beside it one of olive oil and one of good wine.
Construction paused during wartime. It resumed in the 16th century. The Barnabite fathers completed it. They erected the cupola. The confraternity struggled with management. In 1557 they entrusted the church to the Barnabites. The Barnabites also established the first college here. Others followed in different cities.
Giovanni Pietro Besozzo and Alessandro Sauli were sent to Pavia. They preached especially to university students. Sauli even founded a Catholic university circle in 1560. Cardinal Ippolito de’ Rossi consecrated the church in 1564. The Barnabites acquired surrounding houses. By 1620 they created the piazza by demolishing some houses.
The interior received Baroque decoration in the 17th century. There are paintings and stucco work. Napoleon suppressed religious congregations in 1810. The Barnabites had to leave. The convent became a school. The church became the seat of the Confraternita di San Sebastiano. Later it became subsidiary to San Francesco parish. In 1915 the Friars Minor took over. They built a new convent next door between 1935 and 1937.
Cardinal Eugenio Tosi presided over the Virgin’s Coronation in 1926. In 1961 Bishop Carlo Allorio declared it a “city sanctuary”. This emphasized the bond between Pavia’s citizens and the Marian image. Restoration work concluded in 2012.
Look at the architecture. If Amadeo designed it he used his signature style. It is based on the square. This is similar to his teacher Guiniforte Solari’s style. He used it for the Colleoni Chapel in Bergamo. The design features a cubic volume. It rests on a square. An octagonal lantern and four small bell towers sit above. It is typical of Lombard central-plan temples.
The exterior appears compact. It lacks openings and decorations. The interior is more dynamic. The central space stems from the cupola’s eight sides. They project within the church’s square perimeter. Niches supported by arches line each octagon face.
Notice the towers at the church’s corners. One on the right has a clock. The other on the same side has a belfry. The second tower on the left is incomplete.
The facade is unfinished. The lower part is plastered. The south side has unique circular decorations. These are framed in terracotta. A stone architrave interrupts the decoration at the gallery level.
Inside the central hall is square. Above it transitions to an octagonal form. Giovanni Battista Longone frescoed the cupola. He created architectural illusions. Above the portal is a gallery. It houses the notable 1853 Angelo Amati organ. The presbytery was built starting in 1564. Guglielmo Caccia painted eight sibyls in the cupola’s sails.
The Chiesa di Santa Maria Incoronata di Canepanova is more than bricks and mortar. It is a story of faith. It is art. It is community. It is a treasure of Pavia.