San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore

Just a few minutes’ walk from the Milan Duomo, at Corso Magenta 3, we run into the building where for centuries the most important Benedictine female convent in Italy was hosted.

The beautiful Church dates back to the 8th and 9th centuries AD and it was rebuilt in the 16th century with the present features. The decorations inside also come from this period; they include frescoes by Leonardo’s school, by Caravaggio’s master Simone Peterzano and precious works by Bernardino Luini and his sons.

The first distinctive feature of the structure is that it is split in two parts separated by a wall: in no way communication was allowed! We are talking about a cloistered Convent, where the front hall, the smaller one, was intended for the believers, while the back hall, the larger one, was reserved for the nuns of the cloister, who were not allowed to trespass the dividing wall but had the permission to attend religious functions through a grid placed in the arch over the altar. Later on, the grating was made smaller under Carlo Borromeo's order, with the aim of making the seclusion harsher.

Another peculiarity of the building are the impressive frescoes, that date back to the first decades of the 16th century and have been painted by artists belonging to Leonardo's school, such as Bernardino Luini.

Very much appreciated by the aristocracy of the time, Bernardino Luini was the author of most of the paintings inside the Church. The frescoes cover each wall and tell about the lives of Saints and stories of the Passion but also about every day court life, including the portraits of the Bentivoglio family, patrons of the artists.

These great works qualify San Maurizio “Milan’s Sistine Chapel”.

Some Historical Notes

The convent was abolished in 1798 and first used as barracks, then transformed in a female school and further into a military hospital during the 19th century. Later on, for urban reasons, the main cloister was demolished and the bombings of the Second World War destroyed part of the second one. Currently the area occupied by the remaining parts of the complex is the headquarter of the Archaeological Museum, which also includes the Church Crypt on its tour.

The construction of the church seems to have begun in 1503. The date is engraved on a stone found in the apse.

The frescoe of the 'The Adoration of the Magi' (which we can still admire today) was placed in place of the original dividing grid.

Also quite well known for its magnificent organ dated 1554, the church is now home to cultural events and sophisticated concerts, including parts of the Milano Artemusica cycle.