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- Art & Culture
Chapel of teodolinda
In the Cathedral of Monza, a chapel tells the story of Queen Teodolinda.
The Chapel of Queen Theodolinda, found in the northern arm of the transept of the Monza Cathedral, was built at the turn of the 14th and 15th century during the reconstruction of the basilica.
The pictorial decoration was created in the mid-15th century, at the time when the Visconti reign was being transferred to the Sforza family in the Duchy of Milan, as evidenced by the heraldic symbols reminiscent of the Sforza dynasty found in the framing.
Following the death of her first husband Authari, the Catholic queen Theodolinda would choose Agilulfo as her second husband and the new King of the Lombards. Theodolinda is tied to a legend about how the city of Monza was given its name: as she rested in the shade of an oak, the Holy Spirit is said to have appeared to the Queen in the form of a dove, whispering to her the word Modo, to which she replied Etiam. The union of these words would give rise to the ancient name of Monza, or Modoetia.
The cycle of frescoes entitled TheStories of Theodolinda is considered one of the masterpieces of international Gothic painting in Italy, and is known as one of Zavattari's most important works.
