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Trezzano sul Naviglio (Milan, Italy): Church of Sant'Ambrogio
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 Another of the many treasures of art and history that would deserve to be better known and more visited is the Church of Sant'Ambrogio in Trezzano sul Naviglio.
The epoch of construction of the church can be dated between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries (it was however enlarged in the seventeenth century). This dating is supported by various elements. In particular:
- According to tradition, the church was built between 1130 and 1170.
- The dedication to the deposition of S. Ambrogio induces to consider the origin of the church to be concomitant with the presence of the canons of S. Ambrogio in the territory of Trezzano. In fact, there are documents that attest that in the year 1195 these canons bought the land on site.
- The church was certainly built before 1233, when the construction works of the Naviglio Grande (Abbiategrasso-Milan section) started.
The façade appears more recent, perhaps rebuilt after the floor had been raised. Originally it was equipped with three entrance doors, then the two side doors were closed and in the restoration phase again reopened.
In May 1969, during the peeling of the façade, a beautiful fake triple lancet window came back to sight and was left visible. The two half-moon windows, placed at the height of the organ are instead younger.
The façade is, on the whole, very simple and devoid of any decoration.
The interior is quite different. It comprehends a single hall and it is marked by three large, very wide pointed arches that support a gable roof. The structure is therefore very similar, from this point of view, to that of the Church of the Convent of San Nazzaro della Costa in Novara dating back to the thirteenth century.
On the left side there are two rather deep chapels (Fig. 5), while the right side only sees the presence of one flat chapel.
The central apse is deep and rectangular in shape. It is largely occupied by a large altar, most likely baroque, with a high circular tabernacle which makes it difficult to admire the frescoes on the back wall.
On the sides of the main apse, instead of two side apses, there are two almost flat chapels.
A significant part of the interior surfaces of the church is covered with frescoes, and they would be even more numerous if in many parts they had not been lost.
The quality of the decorations is not homogeneous. The most beautiful frescoes are found at the back of the church, in the main apse (Fig. 2) and in the two small chapels that flank it. The Madonna in the chapel on the right is even attributed to Bernardino Luini (it wasn't possible to find any information about the author of the frescoes in the chapel left to the apse, but according to the author of this page their quality could make the attribution to the same autohor probable). It must be said, however, that currently the attribution of this Virgin to Bernardo Zenante seems more probable.
There are some remains of frescoes from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries (in particular for example the figure of a bishop at the bottom on the left wall and the Virgin on the left half of the last arch?). The bulk of the frescoes, most of which are more coarse, but still involving, is instead of the seventeenth century, in particular, it would seem, most of the frescoes on the arches (Fig. 3) and on the counter-façade.
Also worthy of note is the bell tower in exposed brick. Unfortunately, the installation of five bells and of the clock has compromised its original aesthetic.
In one of the first nights of November 1584 Cardinal of Milan Carlo Borromeo was reported coming feverish from Abbiategrasso to Milan on a boat along the canal. In Trezzano he let the boat stop and went down to the church of S. Ambrogio to pray a little in front pf the effigy of the Madonna by Bernardino Luini, then he went on to Milan where he died on November 4, 1584.
On 6 March 1954, Blessed Cardinal Schuster proclaimed the church of S. Ambrogio Sanctuary of Maria, inviting to honor the fresco by Luini as Virgin of S. Carlo and proclaiming her patroness of the lower Milanese area and miraculous effigy.
Categories: Places of historical value of artistic value
Via Rimembranze, 1, 20090 Trezzano sul Naviglio MI |
Further pictures of Church of Sant'Ambrogio in the section Photography |