San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, a very precious jewel

A guided tour in a special place: the Church of San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, also known as the Sistine Chapel of Milan. In Corso Magenta, hidden in the midst of majestic and ostentatious mansions, there stands an apparently anonymous church, so much so that its sober and grey façade almost escapes slightly distracted eyes… but there is so much beauty and splendour inside! Come in with us, thanks to a guided tour conducted by expert guides, and let yourself be enchanted by the thousand colours that cover the walls, telling us unknown stories, to discover one after the other…

San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore: a treasure chest of the Lombard Renaissance

This is what is called a guided tour that is not to be missed, because the small gem that we will be admiring on this occasion is one of the  most unknown in Milan, but not for this reason is it any the less full of charm and magic.

Biblical stories, fascinating events and mysterious figures: we are told this and much more by the precious frescoes of the Church of San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, Here, where once the nuns gathered to pray, the Milanese and tourists now remain fascinated by the rich presence of the works of art by Bernardino Luini and other important masters of the Lombard Renaissance.

The masterpiece of Bernardino Luini in San Maurizio

The Church of San Maurizio is a gem set between the mansions in Corso Magenta belonging to the architectonic complex of the Monastery of San Maurizio, i.e. the Monastero Maggiore of the Benedictine Nuns, once the most important convent in Milan.

In the company of our expert guides, you will be able to appreciate all the splendour of this building and the treasures it holds in the best way possible: although the façade in Corso Magenta passes almost unnoticed, the Church of San Maurizio hides a number of masterpieces in the history of Italian art, the work of the most famous painters from Lombardy in the 16th century. The most important is without a doubt Bernardo Luini who, on the lesson of Leonardo da Vinci, between 1522 and 1529 frescoed the Besozzi Chapel where there is the famous cycle of St Catherine of Alexandria: legend has it that the maestro, painting the scene of the Saint’s beheading, gave her the face of the Countess of Challant, the famous “merry widow” of 16th century Milan.

As for some of our other cultural itineraries, this guided tour of the Church of San Maurizio also aims to acquaint you with the varied world of legends and stories that surround the masterpieces admired,  but without overlooking a meticulous historical and artistic reconstruction. Looking around the church, our guide will also tell you about Noah’s Ark by Aurelio Luini, a surprising painting that is a real zoological treatise rich in details, which illustrates with great care giraffes, tigers and unicorns, all lining up to board the Ark.