COLLEONI CHAPEL, History

Hi, my name’s Rick, and I’m your personal guide. Along with MyWoWo, I’d like to welcome you to one of the wonders of the world: the Colleoni Chapel.

This funeral monument tells the story of an exceptional man: Bartolomeo Colleoni, who during the 15th century was a very famous captain of a band of mercenary soldiers.

Brash, audacious and consumed by a craving for success, Colleoni, a native of Bergamo, switched allegiance on several occasions between Milan and Venice, accumulating enormous wealth and even attempting to become Lord of Milan.

When it came to his burial, he felt a tomb inside a church was not enough, and wanted his funeral monument to look onto the square where everyone could admire it. Thus, this magnificent chapel was built in just five years, starting from 1472, and the design was entrusted to one of the most promising young artists of the time, Giovanni Antonio Amadeo, who created one of the period’s most important works.

To understand the degree of skill demonstrated by the architect, consider the spectacular effect it has on the visitor. The chapel’s aim was to overshadow the nearby Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore; since the Basilica is much bigger, Amadeo designed the impressively ornate decorations to captivate and delight observers, making them forget the church behind the chapel....