“Imagine a time when nuns walked these very grounds.” That is just the beginning of the history of Santa Marta in Milan. Santa Marta was once an Augustinian convent for nuns here in Milan from 1345 to 1799. Today, a high school occupies this historic site.
In the 1460s, Santa Marta embraced the Observant Reform. The complex saw expansion in the 1470s, becoming a hub of religious life. A significant turning point arrived in 1511. King Louis XII of France funded the church’s reconstruction. Later, between 1621 and 1624, architect Francesco Maria Richini undertook major renovations. However, this chapter closed when it was dismantled between 1806 and 1875.
During the Italian Wars, Santa Marta held pro-French sympathies. It became the resting place for the funerary monument of Gaston de Foix. Celebrated artists like Agostino Busti contributed to its artistic legacy. Other artists who worked for Santa Marta include Bernardino Luini, Bernardo Zenale and Marco d’Oggiono.
From the 1470s to the 1520s, Santa Marta gained renown for its mystics. Colomba de Suardi was one such mystic. Liberata da Giussano was another. Benedetta da Vimercate also lived here. Taddea da Ferrara was also a mystic. Veronica Negroni da Binasco was another. Arcangela Panigarola was a further mystic living here. Their spiritual presence enriched the convent’s atmosphere. Benedetta was also a scribe. Veronica Stampa, another nun, documented the convent’s story in the sixteenth century.
The Oratory of Eternal Wisdom, a confraternity, also had Santa Marta as its focal point in the early sixteenth century. Though the convent no longer stands, its memory lives on. Santa Marta remains a significant part of Milan’s religious and artistic heritage.