The church of Santa Maria delle Grazie is located in Bergamo on Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII, near the propylaea. Coming from the train station is the first place of worship that you come across in the city.
The building is sacred and rich in history: it was founded in 1422 by San Bernardino as a Franciscan convent. In the mid-nineteenth century, due to urban reorganisation in the city that involved the construction of a large avenue that connected the station to Porta Sant'Agostino, the church was demolished and then rebuilt in a slightly different location.
The current neoclassical style Greek Cross structure of the church, is due to the architect Antonio Preda, who managed to create an important well placed structure in a new position in the city, thus making the ‘delle Grazie’ monumental complex the heart of the city.
The cloister and many of the artworks from the historic complex still exist, such as, the miraculous fresco of the Holy Jesus on the wooden altar by Caterina Caniana (1761), "Madonna and Saints" by Giambettino Cignaroli (1752), "Madonna and San Diego" by Enea Salmeggia (1594) and many other frescoes. The pictorial decoration of the church, which culminates in the Gloria di Maria (1865-68) painted in the dome, is the work of Enrico Scuri, director of the Accademia Carrara School of Painting.
The church of Santa Maria delle Grazie is located in Bergamo on Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII, near the propylaea. Coming from the train station is the first place of worship that you come across in the city.
The building is sacred and rich in history: it was founded in 1422 by San Bernardino as a Franciscan convent. In the mid-nineteenth century, due to urban reorganisation in the city that involved the construction of a large avenue that connected the station to Porta Sant'Agostino, the church was demolished and then rebuilt in a slightly different location.
The current neoclassical style Greek Cross structure of the church, is due to the architect Antonio Preda, who managed to create an important well placed structure in a new position in the city, thus making the ‘delle Grazie’ monumental complex the heart of the city.
The cloister and many of the artworks from the historic complex still exist, such as, the miraculous fresco of the Holy Jesus on the wooden altar by Caterina Caniana (1761), "Madonna and Saints" by Giambettino Cignaroli (1752), "Madonna and San Diego" by Enea Salmeggia (1594) and many other frescoes. The pictorial decoration of the church, which culminates in the Gloria di Maria (1865-68) painted in the dome, is the work of Enrico Scuri, director of the Accademia Carrara School of Painting.
