Santa Maria della Grazie

The inside of the church

The Church of Our Lady of the Graces (Italian Santa Maria delle Grazie) in Varallo Sesia was built, together with the pertaining Franciscan convent, by padre Bernardo Caimi between 1486 and 1493, together with the beginning of the construction of the Sacro Monte In December 1931 Pope Pius XI gave the church the title of Minor Basilica.[1]

History

The church is Gothic art. The inside has the typical division of the space for the devotees and for the friar, separated by a partition wall (tramezzo), substained by three round arches; the central one give access to a hall reserved to the friars, while the two lateral arches house two chapels. The scheme of the wall is traditionally attributed to Bernardino of Siena. The wall was painted by Gaudenzio Ferrari in 1531.

A similar decorative structure, with the partition wall entirely decorated with frescos of the Life of Jesus was typical of the religious and artistic culture of the Friars Minor in Piedmont and Lombardy between XV and XVI century.[2]

The franciscan convent at the end of the XV century was much larger than today. The ancient building consisted of two cloisters, the friars cell, the refectory. the library and the laboratories.

After the abandonment of the convent by the franciscans at the beginning of the XX century, restorations and renovation work begun. From 1953 the complex host the nuns Suore Missionarie di Gesù Eterno Sacerdote.

Gaudenzio Ferrari's wall

"Gaudenzio Ferrari's wall" in Santa Maria delle Grazie, Varallo
The scenes: Annunciation, Nativity of Jesus, Adoration of the Magi, Flight into Egypt, Baptism of Jesus, Resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus enters in Jerusalem, Last Supper, Foot washing, Agony in the Getsemani, Arrest of Jesus, Jesus at Herod's court, Pilate's court, Flagellation of Christ, Pilate washes his hands, Via dolorosa, Preparation of the cross, Lamentation of Christ, Descent in the Limbo, Resurrection of Jesus; in the centre Crucifixion of Jesus; medallions with paintings of Francis of Assisi and Bernardino of Siena

As often happens in franciscan churches, the bare outside look doesn't allow to foresee the rich decoration inside.

In the cosy atmosphere of the church, with the gothic arches sustaining the ceiling trusses, the visitor is moved by the vivid paintings of the partition wall.

The frescos realised by Gaudenzio Ferrari are one of the masterpieces in the Renessaince painting in Piedmont and Lombardy. They tell the Life and Passion of Jesus Christ thanks to scenes painted on a surface of 82 m²: twenty equal frames narrate the main facts told by the gospels from the Annunciation to the Resurrection, working as Biblia pauperum. In the center of the wall the Crucifixion occupys four frames, as it is the most important fact in the narration.

The painter from the Valsesia realised the frescos in 1513 (as it is written on the wall by the author himself "Gaudenzius Ferrarius Vallis Siccidae pinxit"). He was working in Varallo, at the Sacro Monte, since ten years. He already painted beautiful artworks like the Polittico di Sant'Anna.

Realising the frescos Ferrari seem to have learned the latest innovation in the art field: first of all the teachings of Leonardo da Vinci (Ferrari's Last supper recalls the same drama from a slitely different point of view from Leonardo's; also the landscapes in many frames recall Leonardo's style); there is also influence of Bramantino, Perugino and other Italian painters that Gaudenzio knew in his trip to Rome.

The most important model was, though, Giovanni Martino Spanzotti, author of a similar decoration in the church of San Bernardino in Ivrea. The nocturne scene of the Arrest of Jesus is a quote of the same scene in Ivrea; the chiaroscuro and the light of the torches will be inspiring for the follower of Caravaggio.

Despite the importance of his models, Gaudenzio Ferrari has an independent artistic view. He decide to quote Spanzotti and others in order to honour their poetics, to their art near to the humbles. Ferrari's idea to paint some figures (such as armors, horse heads, halos) in relief in order to give them particular enlightenment or prominence, is innovative and came from his experience in the Sacro Monte construction.

Crucifixion, fresco, 1513, partition wall of the church of S. Maria delle Grazie, Varallo

Other artworks in the church

Despite the visitor obviosely concentrate on Ferrari's wall, there are other important artworks in the church.

The two chapels under the partition wall preserve other frescos by Gaudenzio Ferrari, who painted here before the wall. This frescos are important to understand his artistic development. The Saint Margaret chapel was painted in 1507 with two evangelical scenes (Presentation at the Temple and the Debate with the Doctors) and grotesque.

On the right there is the Graces chapel with frescos, dating back to 1491, of the studio of the Milanese painters Giovanni Scotto, where Gaudenzio Ferrari was an apprentice.[3] The paintings represent the Birth of Virgin Mary, the Marriage of Virgin Mary and the Adoration of the Magi. The chapel also preserve the wooden statue of the Virgin with baby Jesus standing on her knees, very dear to the local devotees.

In the aisle there is a fresco on the left wall, near the pulpit, by Fermo Stella, apprentice of Gaudenzio Ferrari, who worked with his maestro at the Sacro Monte. The painting represents a rare scene Jesus bidding his Mother farewell inspired by a homily by John Chrysostom.

Gallery

Bibliography

See also

References

  1. ↑ Catrholic.org. Basilicas in Italy
  2. ↑ A. Nova, I tramezzi in Lombardia fra XV e XVI secolo: scene della Passione e devozione francescana, in "Il Francescanesimo in Lombardia: storia e arte", Silvana Editoriale, Milano, 1983.
  3. ↑ E. Villata, Gaudenzio Ferrari. Gli anni dell'apprendistato in E. Villata, S. Baiocco, Allemandi & C., Turin, 2004

Coordinates: 45°49′03″N 8°15′09″E / 45.81755°N 8.25260°E / 45.81755; 8.25260

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