San Bernardino alle Ossa
An hidden place, full of mysterious and fashinating stories. A small masterpiece of the Milanese Baroque.
Milanoarte.net like to let you discover secret places hidden in our city, the church of S.Bernardino alle Ossa is one of this hidden tresures. It was built in 1184 when the surrounding area was chosen to become the graveyard of the hospital of S.Stefano in Brolo located nearby. As time went by the graveyard was filled up and it was decided to bury the oldest bones into a charnel house. In 1642 the collapse of the bell tower damaged the church and the charnel house, being damaged beyond any repair they were completely rebuilt.
Today the church is a severe building in Lombard Baroque style, next to the church is the charnel house, completely covered by bones and skulls. These grotesque trophies cover entirely the walls while the vault is painted with a colourful frescoes depicting the triumph of the souls, a beautiful work by Sebastiano Ricci, 1695.
This building was so appreciated by the king of Portugal Giovanni the 5th that he ordered an exact copy in Lisbon.
Address:
Via Verziere 2
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday from 7:30 am to 12:30 am and from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
Saturday from 7:30 am to 12:30 am.
Sunday from 9:30 am to 12 am.
