Beneath this mosaic, what stories lie within the Beata Vergine Immacolata? The church stands here at the end of Viale Corsica. It intersects with Via Kolbe. This is the Beata Vergine Immacolata e Sant’Antonio. We will explore the history of this parish. We’ll see how it intertwines with the nation’s story.
Construction started in June 1927. Father Vittore Chialina bought land here. He was a minister of the Patavina province. The area was the developing Viale Corsica district. The Nava brothers designed a convent. By November 1929, it housed a religious community. The first Mass was held on June 17, 1929. It took place in a ground-floor room.
The worship space quickly became too small. It could not accommodate the growing population. The Milanese fathers wanted a real church. The Nava brothers designed it. It was intended to be the Santuario Antoniano of Milan. But the project was too expensive. The nation was in economic crisis in 1931.
The Castelli company took on the project. They were undeterred by payment difficulties. They started the church’s foundations. Cardinal Ildefonso Schuster celebrated the laying of the first stone. This was on February 11, 1931.
Work was slow initially. Donations allowed rapid progress by December 1931. The perimeter of the foundations rose. Parts of the crypt’s walls appeared. In spring 1932, the crypt’s ceiling was poured. It would serve as the floor for the future upper church.
The national economic situation worsened. Work stopped. The friars used limited funds for the crypt’s furnishings. The lower church was blessed on August 15, 1932. This was the anniversary of Saint Anthony’s birth.
Work paused for years. The building site reopened in May 1937. The war in Ethiopia caused problems. Italy faced economic sanctions. Securing steel for the supporting arches became difficult. By November 1937, the brickwork was complete. The side aisles and small apses neared completion.
In early 1938, iron beams allowed construction of the roof. By summer, the church’s central structure was done. The facade took shape. Stones and marbles arrived in June. They would embellish its lines.
The community celebrated the first Mass on September 25, 1938. The church was bare. The floor was simple cement. A few candles lit an improvised altar and crucifix. Later, a small organ and lights were added. The floor became a Palladian-style mosaic. In early 1940, ambones and side balustrades were added. They enclosed the presbytery.
Stained glass windows were created. They depicted scenes from the lives of Saint Anthony and the Virgin Mary. They also showed the mysteries of the Rosary. Cardinal Ildefonso Schuster consecrated the completed church. This was on October 5, 1941. He dedicated it to the Beata Vergine Immacolata e Sant’Antonio.
Allied bombings damaged the city. On October 24, 1942, a nearby bomb shattered the church’s windows. Other bombs fell close in 1943 but did not explode. The windows were replaced after the war. Further embellishments continued into the 1950s. Chapels were furnished. The last artistic windows were installed.
The church has a Latin cross layout. It features a single nave and side chapels. The transept is contained within the building’s width. It ends in two chapels near the presbytery. To the right is the Chapel of the Immacolata. To the left is the Sacred Heart Chapel.
Inside, the church has white plastered surfaces. Brick frames highlight the structure. Marble and mosaic surfaces adorn the chapels and apse.
The brick facade has projections and recesses. These add interest to the height. A large staircase leads to the courtyard and church entrance. The central entrance is a pronaos with a niche. A mosaic from 1950 shows the Madonna greeting Saint Francis and Saint Anthony.
Here at the Beata Vergine Immacolata, history and faith converge. They create a space of beauty. They offer solace to all who enter.