Santa Maria della Croce Sanctuary

The Santa Maria della Croce Sanctuary in Crema was built in honor of the Holy Lady after the miracles connected to the Marian apparition to Caterina degli Uberti on the 3rd of April 1490.
The first stone was laid on the 6th of August 1490, thanks to the money offered by the believers.
The architect was Giovanni Battagio, one of Bramante’s students. He decided to build the church in tile, with a central layout and three different overlapped galleries and chapels at the four cardinal directions.
In 1500 the construction was concluded and the architect from Crema Giovanni Antonio Montanaro decided to add another gallery in Gothic style.  
The Sanctuary is a wonderful example of Lombardic Renaissance architecture, characterized by the color of the tile and the white of the walls.
In the inner part the Church has a central layout. The walls are covered with some frescoes made by the most important artists from Crema and Cremona, in a mix of different styles, the Renaissance style in the lower part and the Baroque one in the upper part.
The central dome is divided in eight parts and it presents some wonderful frescoes in which it is represented the Triumph of the Cross. In the lower part are represented the prophets and the sibyls.  
The side altars present some important artistic paintings. In the vault you can admire the fresco which represents the group of the Virgin and Caterina degli Uberti, with a bas relief in tile at the center (the gift of a nobleman from Milan).