Chiesa di San Giovanni

Whispers of power and tragedy echo around the Chiesa di San Giovanni in Conca. Here in Piazza Missori, we stand before not a grand church, but the remnants of a tale spanning centuries. The Chiesa di San Giovanni in Conca began humbly in the 5th century. A simple, single-nave structure dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist. Imagine the early Christians gathering within its walls. Yet, this tranquil existence was shattered in the 12th century by the ravages of war. Emperor Frederick Barbarossa’s campaign against Milan left the church in ruins. From destruction rose resilience. The Chiesa di San Giovanni in Conca was rebuilt, this time in the Romanesque style. Three aisles now graced its interior, a gabled roof sheltering the faithful below. The church’s story then takes a dramatic turn. In the 14th century, Bernabò Visconti, the ruthless lord of Milan, claimed the Chiesa di San Giovanni in Conca as his own. He transformed it into a private chapel, a symbol of his family’s power. Frescoes adorned the walls, depicting the life of Saint John and the Visconti brothers themselves. Bernabò commissioned an equestrian statue of himself, placed proudly above the altar. Upon his death, he was laid to rest within the church he had commandeered, his tomb a testament to his ambition. The Chiesa di San Giovanni in Conca’s fortunes continued to shift. The Carmelites took over in the 16th century, only to be ousted later. The church became a storehouse, a shelter for carts, a forgotten relic of its former glory. Even the bell tower found new purpose as a signal tower in the Chappe telegraph line. In the 19th century, modernization encroached. Via Mazzini’s construction resulted in the church’s partial demolition. The Waldensian community salvaged what remained, incorporating the façade into their own church on Via Francesco Sforza. Finally, in the mid-20th century, the remnants of the Chiesa di San Giovanni in Conca met their end. Yet, even in its absence, the story persists. Today, the crypt survives, a subterranean echo of the church’s long life. Here, beneath Piazza Missori, we can glimpse the foundation of a building that witnessed centuries of Milanese history. Fragments of frescoes and the imposing tombs of Bernabò and his wife, Regina della Scala, reside in the Sforza Castle, further preserving the legacy of the Chiesa di San Giovanni in Conca.