The church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, also called the Convent church, stands on a rise behind Gravedona, with a view over the Upper Lario: founded in 1467 at the will of the people of Gravedona, it has a bright single hall and keeps a cycle of Lombard Renaissance frescoes.
History
The complex arose in 1467 on the site of the oratory of San Salvatore, an early Christian temple in use from the 6th century, by grant of Pope Paul II and with money from several families and, according to UPEL, from the Duke of Milan; for the regional entry the work on church and convent dates from 1467-1468. Later dates vary: a scroll at the entrance, reported by in-Lombardia, says Pope Sixtus IV granted indulgences in 1472, that the church was consecrated in 1532 and repaired in 1742; UPEL instead says it was consecrated in 1496. The Augustinian convent was suppressed in 1771-1772: it was divided among private owners, while the church depended on the pieve church of San Vincenzo.
What to see
The simple facade has a sail-shaped profile with Romanesque decorations, three bands marked by tall pilasters and a main portal in Musso marble, and the plastered walls have a terracotta sawtooth cornice (UPEL, in-Lombardia). The interior is wide and bright: a single nave with a wooden ceiling, transverse pointed arches, side chapels and a presbytery with three apses, the central one with a sail vault. The walls are covered in Lombard Renaissance frescoes carried out between 1496 and 1520, which are unsigned. In the floor are set tomb slabs of Gravedona families.
The regional entry reconstructs the phases: most of the decoration dates from 1509 and the following years. In the second bay on the right the Stories of Saint Anthony Abbot, wanted by the Stampa family and finished on 27 June 1509, imitate a marble polyptych with antique motifs, and one scene follows an engraving by Dürer; tradition gave them to Sigismondo de Magistris, today the name of Alvise de Donati or a collaborator prevails. On the presbytery pillar the Curti had a Madonna with the Child painted, accompanied by Peter and the Baptist; they finished it on 4 July 1509. The Crucifixion in the first bay on the right, with the Stories of the Cross in the lunette, is of the Casati family, with donations documented in 1516-1517. The convent also keeps its cloister with scenes from the life of Jesus and Augustinian saints, attributed to Domenico da Lugano and perhaps to Bernardino de’ Donati (Università Cattolica).
Practical information
- The church is in via Convento, above Gravedona, a short distance from the church of Santi Gusmeo e Matteo.
- We found no up-to-date official source for opening hours: to visit the church it is best to ask the parish of Gravedona.
Sources
- Lombardia Beni Culturali, Chiesa e Convento di S. Maria delle Grazie, Gravedona ed Uniti
- UPEL Italia, Chiesa e Convento di Santa Maria delle Grazie
- in-Lombardia, Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie
- Università Cattolica, Il complesso agostiniano di Santa Maria delle Grazie a Gravedona; Wikipedia, Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie (Gravedona) entry.