BASILICA DI SANTA MARIA DELLE GRAZIE
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Basilica classified by Unesco rising on a very pretty square lined with elegant middle-class buildings.
Listed by UNESCO, the basilica stands in a beautiful square lined with elegant middle-class buildings. The original building was built by the Dominicans between 1465 and 1490, and Bramante was responsible for its Renaissance style in 1492. Commissioned by Ludovico il Moro, who intended the church to become the mausoleum of the Sforza family, the great architect added his genial touch by building the impressive tribune, the sacristy, the rectangular choir and a charming little cloister. Leonardo da Vinci was entrusted with the decoration of a small wall in the refectory. It was here that the genius created the Last Supper in 1498, which faces the Crucifixion by Montorfano.
The Basilica's dazzling 16-sided dome, the work of Bramante, rises above the choir. Surmounted by a gallery, it is supported by four large arches. Wheels and radiating suns sculpted in bas-relief make up the decoration, referring to the iconography of the Sforza family. The luminous interior is surprising for the harmony of its proportions, the frescoes on the vault, while figures of Dominican saints still decorate the pillars of the nave. The fourth chapel on the right is particularly noteworthy for the frescoes by Gaudenzio Ferrari(Crucifixion and Ecce Homo, 1542). In the presbytery there is a beautiful 15th century choir in carved wood. Before leaving, don't miss the small cloister at the back of the basilica, a real haven of peace.
