Description

The Parish Church of Albignano, a national monument since 1982, is described, in the Superintendency document that recognizes its great historical and artistic interest, as "of great architectural value, thanks to the splendid stuccoes and polychrome marble altars, as well as for the reference to the central plan, derived from a drawing by Bramante." A church, therefore, that we could define as Bramante-inspired, even though it was built in Baroque style, having been constructed in the early 18th century. The construction was commissioned by the Anguissola family, illustrious descendants of counts of Piacenza origin, but who had been present in Milan for centuries, having owned the fiefdom of Albignano since the mid-1500s. This explains the building's opulence, uncommon for small agricultural communities like Albignano at the time, for whose construction the counts commissioned architects and artists of some note, working in 18th-century Milan. The church was consecrated in 1726, just nine years after construction began, with the first Mass celebrated by the prelate Count Antonio Giacomo Anguissola, second son of Count Carlo, who personally ordered and oversaw the various phases of construction. The exterior façade, very simple, is embellished by the large segmental arch portal, reminiscent of those of Milan Cathedral, with the effigy of San Majolo Abate at the center. It also features an intricate sculptural cornice that serves as a decorative element. The bell tower, approximately 60 meters high, is among the tallest buildings in the area and has a shaft divided into four orders separated by cornices. The bell chamber has a round arch, and the top of the bell tower repeats the octagonal shape of the church's dome with four ornamental pinnacles, depicting plant elements, crowning the four sides at the base of the spire. Inside, the church displays great harmony, with the presence of side chapels and aedicules that blend with the rest of the architecture, creating a compact and scenographic environment. The richness of the marble, the exquisite stucco work, and the paintings are immediately apparent. The central plan is also clear, a circle within a square reminiscent of Bramante. The magnificence of the three altars, made with inlaid polychrome marble in the 1750s, is striking. The high altar is an extraordinary scenographic invention, with a tabernacle decorated with gilded bronze at its center and a beautiful wooden crucifix of uncertain manufacture on the apse wall. On the two side walls of the high altar, framed by marble frames, are two canvases: on the right is a Pietà with Saints Catherine and Francis: this work was probably present in the destroyed church of Sant'Andrea and later brought here. On the left, however, is one of the church's most precious paintings, depicting the Immaculate Conception. Probably the work of Giuseppe Nuvolone, a member of the renowned family of painters active in Milan during the 17th century. The altar of Our Lady of the Rosary features a beautiful wooden statue of the Virgin, the work of the sculptor Agnese Genovese, dating back to the late 17th or early 18th century. The vibrant colors of the robe and the hieratic stillness of Mary's face contrast with the sudden movement of the Child stand out. Of particular interest are the 15 copper-painted tondi, distributed along the marble frame, depicting the mysteries of the rosary. They are attributed to Federico Ferrario and are of extraordinary craftsmanship. The third altar is dedicated to Saint Irenaeus. This altar also features a sumptuously Baroque style and has a large canvas at its center depicting the martyrdom of the Saint. Two urns are kept here: one containing the remains of the holy martyrs Disolo and Recesso, and, above all, one containing the remains of Saint Irenaeus, a soldier martyr in Diocletian's Rome. These remains were transferred here from the church of San Pietro in Gessate in Milan and celebrated with great religious ceremony on November 14, 1728. Since then, this event has become the Feast of Albignano, held on the second Sunday of November and known as the Feast of the Fumm both because of the fog, much more common then than now, and the smoke from the roasting chestnuts. This is yet another reason to invite you to visit our beautiful parish church!