San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore and Museo Archeologico- Two Museums in One Monastery

The thing about San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore that caught my imagination was not that it is a stunningly painted jewel of a church, though it is, with every inch of it covered in Bernardino Luini's breathtaking frescoes.  It was the fact that the church was originally attached to the most important FEMALE convent of the Benedictines in the city of Milan; Monastero Maggiore (Great Monastery).

As a bonus, the wonderful Museo Archeologico is also part of the monastery complex, and while we definitely intended to see both during this visit, our primary goal upon arriving was to visit this church that is said to be "Sistine Chapel" of Milan! So after entering the monastery complex, we immediately headed to the doorway on the left which accessed the church.

The Great Monastery was founded at the height of the Lombard era in Italy, The Lombards, were descended from southern Scandinavians, and by the end of the 5th century had moved into the area roughly coinciding with modern Austria north of the Danube River.  After many territorial victories, in 567, they successfully descended into Italy.  They established a Lombard Kingdom which reached its pinnacle in the 8th-century.

The  Monastero Maggiore was built partially re-using ancient Roman structures including a polygonal tower, a relic of the ancient  walls built by Emperor Maximian (c. 286 to 305), and a square tower, originally part of the lost Hippodrome.  This tower was later adopted as the church’s bell tower.

Construction on the church began in 1503 following the design of Gian Giacomo Docebuono and Giovanni Antonio Amadeo. The facade was finished fifteen years later by Cristoforo Solari. 

Chiesa San Maurizio is divided into two parts: one for the faithful congregants, and one for the nuns.  The nuns would have been constrained to listening to the mass through a grated partition.  The nuns were strictly forbidden to leave their cloistered area.

above photo credit: MarkusMark via Wikimedia Commons

Even though the nuns were restricted from parts of the church, I was happy to see that such a stunningly beautiful place had been the domain of women and I could only believe that while living an austere religious life, they must have enjoyed spending time in the some of the fabulously decorated rooms.  

The partition wall divides the church into two halls: a large hall with six bays for the nuns living at the convent (Hall of Nuns) and a smaller public hall for the congregation (Hall of Believers).  The Hall of the Nuns is where the choir is located.  It is also home to the organ built in 1554-1557 by Gian Giacomo Antegnati. The organ's case was decorated by Francesco and Girolamo de' Medici da Seregno.

The church paintings were created in three different periods, from around 1510 until 1578. The frescoes portray episodes from the the bible and the lives of the saints, but also describe the world of the highest nobilty of Milan during the Renaissance with many portraits of Sforza and Bentivoglio family members.

The painting on the partition wall in the Hall of Nuns was created in 1573 by the Venetian artist Simone Peterzano, Caravaggio's master artist.

The main altar is located in the Hall of the Believers.

The most famous of the paintings are the frescoes of Bernardino Luini, a student of Leonardo da Vinci.

Luini’s frescoes in the St. Catherine chapel in the Hall of Believers and on both sides of the partition wall are among the most celebrated works of art in Milan. The dividing wall has frescoes depicting the Life of San Maurizio which flank the main altar which has a painting of the Adoration of the Magi  by Antonion Campi.

Luini’s pupils and family also contributed to the painting of the church interior.  Several of the chapels in the faithful's area are by Aurelio Luini, son of Bernardino, and his brothers.

After you have had your fill of fabulously beautiful frescoes, (as if that was possible!), you can head back out to visit the attached Museo Archeological (Archeological Museum) housed in the remnants of the Monastery Maggiore.

The museum exhibits begin with displays showing artifacts from ancient Milan, including several beautiful mosaics.

The Inner Cloister provides views into the remains of a Roman dwelling as well as a large section of the ancient city walls and a polygonal tower dating to the end of the 3rd and beginning of the 4th centuries.

The polygonal tower houses 13th-14th century frescoes of St. Francis dating to the time when the tower was used as the chapel for the monastery.  This tower was incorporated into the cloister when it was rebuilt and expanded during the Renaissance era.

The square tower overlooking Via Luini originally had a twin and was part of the short side of a Late Roman circus.  It was incorporated into the monastery during the 8th and 9th centuries.

An additional attached museum area accessed through the octagonal tower houses several floors of exhibitions including those of the Early Middle Ages (1st floor), Etruscan (2nd floor) and Greek (3rd floor) antiquities. It is a large and interesting collection and really helps you understand the ancient cultural and artistic history of the people of the Milan area.

above photo credit: Giovanni Dall'Orto via Wikipedia

San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore rivals the Sistine Chapel in beauty and the Museo Archeological Milano is a fascinating museum that should be high on your list if you visit Milan.  We loved them both….so lucky they happen to be side by side!

Location: Corso Magenta, 15 - 20123 Milano