Prepositural of St. Maria Assunta, Gallarate

Although the restoration of the façade of the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta — carried out by Camillo Boito between 1868 and 1870, taking over the project for the church originally designed by Giacomo Moraglia, who died in 1860 — can be considered entirely within the established restoration practice of the time, it is nevertheless worth describing this intervention in detail. This is done with the dual aim of documenting the event and of confirming how the conceptual and practical approach based on the principles of “conservation” proved effective. From both the design and the technical point of view, this approach successfully preserved the architectural fabric and its historical meanings, while also achieving convincing formal and representational results in the restored work. It should also be noted that the basilica, dedicated to the Mary under the title of the Assumption, is one of the most important monuments of the city and one of the works in which Boito’s activity in Gallarate is well documented. During those years Boito was active in the city after being invited by the Ponti family, a well-known local family of industrialists, who also commissioned him to design their funerary chapel in the main cemetery and works related to the civic hospital.