Church of S.Maria Coronata of Canepanova, Pavia

The Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Canepanova was built at the beginning of the sixteenth century by Giovanni Antonio Amadeo and is traditionally attributed to a design by Donato Bramante. It was erected on the foundations of an ancient Lombard church and probably owes its origin to a miraculous fresco of the Virgin that once existed on the façade of the house belonging to the noble Canepanova family. The construction of the sanctuary was completed only after the arrival of the Barnabites in 1557. The exterior has a square plan with an octagonal tiburium and four bell towers. The interior is very harmonious and decorated with frescoes dating from the Baroque period, creating a refined illusionistic perspective. On the walls, the paintings by Guglielmo Caccia and by Giulio Cesare Procaccini and Camillo Procaccini help make this church a true seventeenth-century art museum.