Chiesa di San Fedele

A jewel in Milano, nearby Duomo. Ancient and modern art convive together. Impressive the terracotta via Crucis made by Lucio Fontana.

Brilliant baroque Jesuit church built in 1569 with Pellegrino Tibaldi as architect. Tibaldi studied under Michelangelo who was busy at that time with the Sistine Chapel. In many aspects San Fedele (Saint Fidelis) is similar to the Gesu in Rome. The outside is a simple facade because the thought in the architecture was that the profane was on the outside and the heavenly on the inside. There are 7 steps to enter the church signifying the 7 days of creation. When you step inside, you are transported to an elaborate vision of "paradise" with lots of gold (baroque style), the purest element on earth, used extensively to represent the perfection of Heaven. On the ceiling we see a painting of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and it seems to open the roof of the Church so we feel transported to Heaven - that we have entered into the realm. The windows and dome above the altar also serves to give this feeling. The Jesuit influence is also seen in the many dedications to Jesus: the beautiful cross depicting a tortured Christ on the main altar; Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist in the baptistry; the painting of crucified Jesus caressed by the women after being taken down from the cross and underneath the painting, the marble depiction of Jesus lying in the tomb; and of course, the painting of St. Ignatius considering the personal cross he must carry to walk in the footsteps of Our Lord. We see the Host, or communion bread, with the latin IHS and gold beams radiating from it, again signifying Christ risen and surrounded by angels - a depiction similar to that in the Gesu in Rome. One immediate example of the fact that the Church was built to counter criticisms levied on the Catholic Church during the reformation is that there is a single nave with no interior columns (unlike the Duomo and its gothic architecture). The criticism was that the Catholic Church was not transparent and therefore, needed to take the obstructions away, both figuratively and actively. In addition, the pulpit was put in the middle of the nave and not in the apse; this was again in response to a well-deserved criticism during the reformation. At that point in time, many priests were not educated and therefore were not allowed to preach. The Jesuits were well-educated and in fact, countered this criticism by often having various priests in the pulpit to preach throughout the day. The Jesuits have also created a museum itinerary to reflect on how faith and its interpretation changes with time and the fruitful interaction between art and spirituality. The cost is minimal for the museum and itinerary.

Unsung hero around the corner from the Duomo. We stumbled upon this lovely church whilst walking around town. It seemed closed as there were only people sitting on the steps but no one going in or out. Walking in you are greeted with the sheer size, on par with many of the churches we saw in Rome. There are fantastic fescos and timberwork and it is the only church we've seen that incorporates ancient and modern artworks. We paid the extra €2 to take the guided tour through the church, well worth it! I didn't catch our guides name but she spoke great English and was very knowledgeable about the church and the history. Be aware the tours stop running at 6pm.

beautiful church, very spiritual.?

Contemporary art on site. Great!

This is very beautiful chart. I'm very recommend for the positive emotion and impression

The ancient church of San Fedele was built in 313 as Santa Maria in Solariolo and dedicated to Saint Fidelis in the XIth century. In 15y7, the Society of Jesus decided to rebuild it. It was then commissioned to Pellegrino Tibaldi who designer a building organized around one nave dicided in two spans.

A church in close distance of the Duomo and the gallery. Very spacious and with typical decorations. It is a ideál place to find some peace after visiting all the tourist attractions and to take some time for yourself. Open daily at max nutil 18:00, but usually until 16:30