Modena churches in the historic centre · Churches in the historic centre in Modena
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Churches in the historic centre in Modena
Churches in the historic centre in Modena
The Church of St. Augustine.
Erected in 1338 on an existing construction, it was completely transformed in 1663 on commission of the duchess Laura Martinozzi to celebrate the obsequies of her husband and destine it as cemetery and pantheon for the Estense family. The interior is in the shape of a Latin cross and richly adorned with stuccos, statues, busts and bas-reliefs regarding the house of d’Este with a beautiful coffered ceiling painted by famous artists. The first chapel to the right of the entrance hosts the Mourning on the body of Christ by Antonio Begarelli. Underneath the right-hand choir is a fresco from the old church depicting the Madonna of Consolation with Child attributed to Tommaso da Modena. At the end of the right-hand cross is a rich carved and gilded wooden altar of the 17th century inside which there is a painting by Francesco Stringa painted when the church was restructured. Enframed in an oval is the image of the Virgin placed here instead of the fresco by Tommaso da Modena and venerated as Madonna of St.Augustine or of the belt.
The Church and ex College of San Bartolomeo.
Church
Belonging to the Jesuit order, the building was started in 1607, but the façade completed only in 1727. The furnishings and paintings in large part date back to the 17th century.
The magic view reproduced in the interior of the church is magnificent. The rostrums made by Lana and the paintings which adorn the side chapels with the Glories of St. Ignatius are exquisite.
Ex College
The building complex of San Bartolomeo dating back to 1607, originally hosted a College of the Jesuit Fathers where the young Modenese received religious education and got underway studying literature and science. When the Society of Jesus was suppressed in 1773, the College became the property of the Patrimonio di Studi and from 1798 to 1821 the rooms were occupied by the Supreme Council of Justice. After the Austro-Estensi returned to Modena in 1814 and the Society was restored, the Jesuits came back to San Bartolomeo in 1821, but little over 30 years later, with the end of the dukedom, they finally abandoned the city and the rooms were destined for the public school.
For over a century, from 1860 to 1973, the building was the headquarters of the Liceo Classico Muratori (secondary school), while the 18th century chapel of the Dames, next to the main entrance, at the beginning of the 20th century became the headquarters of the fire brigade, then gymnasium and finally multi-purpose hall. In 1985 the building, temporarily hosting the San Carlo secondary school, was hit by fire.
The Church of St. Biagio.
The church, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin of Carmine, was erected in 1319 according to a plaque inside the church. It was reconstructed, although preserving the original framework, on design of Cristoforo Malagola, called the Galaverna, as well as embellished in decorations and paintings. The old church of St. Biagio, situated on Via Emilia in the area where today the Palazzo Montecuccoli of the Erris rises, was demolished in 1768 and the parish moved to Carmine, the latter assuming the name of St. Biagio of Carmine. The interior with only one nave with six arches per side which host the side altars has a deep apse. The choir and the large cupola were painted by Mattia Preti. Of the 18th century frescoes by Agostino Mitelli and Angelo Colonna which adorned the vault of the sacristy, today only the central part remains. Facing the cloister dating back to the 14th century and situated to the side of the church is a small chapel with a beautiful gilded coffered ceiling and a detached fresco depicting the Madonna breast-feeding the Child, attributed to Tommaso da Modena.
The Church of St. Francis.
The church was constructed over a very long period of time - started in 1244 it had not yet been completed in 1445. In 1535 it was completely restructured together with the adjacent monastery. In 1798 it was adapted for military use, thus suffering a rapid decline until in 1826 the duke Francis IV had it restored, reopening it for worship. In the interior the Deposition of Christ being lowered from the Cross can be admired, as well as a group of thirteen statues sculpted around 1523 by Begarelli.
The Fountain of St. Francis is found in the court which opens on the northern side of the church of the same name.
Rising from it is the bronze statue of St. Francis preaching to the fish, designed by the engineer Cavazzuti. The statue is the work of Giuseppe Graziosi and dates back to 1938.
The Church of St. Peter.
In ancient times annexed to the Benedictine Abbey founded in 983, the church was reconstructed between 1476 and 1518. The façade of the church, in terracotta, is crossed by an exquisite frieze, also in terracotta, composed of intertwined seascapes with winged satyrs realised around 1530.
The interior, divided into five naves, is rich in works made between 1400 and 1500 and is virtually an exhibition of the local artists of the time. The six large terracotta statues leaning against the pillars of the central nave were sculpted by Begarelli and depict the Madonna of the Conception and the various saints. Of particular importance is the ninth chapel in which the Apogee of Begarelli, the last work of the artist, is found, depicting the Madonna in Glory and the saints Peter, Paul, Geminiano and Benedict. At the end of the right nave the Pietà can be admired.
Of particular value is the sacristy with the racks in splendid inlaid work carried out by Gianfrancesco da Cremona in 1548.
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Modena Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.