SAN FEDELE MUSEUM
Itinerary Art and Faith

SAN FEDELE, MILAN

In the 16th-century Jesuit church of San Fedele, an Art and Faith tour includes the crypt, the sacristy, the «chapel of the ballet dancers» and a little gallery of paintings and reliquaries. A collection of works of art from the 14th Century to the present day.

ADDRESS: Piazza San Fedele, 4  Milan - MM Duomo
OPEN: Wednesday - Sunday, 2 pm - 6 pm (tickets available until 5.45 pm)
ADMISSION
: 5 euro
Reductions: under 6, free; under 18, 3 euro; university students, 3 euro; disabled people, free

GUIDED VISITS with a museum's guide
: 10 euro
Reductions: under 18, 5 euro; university students, 8 euro; disabled people, free

GUIDED VISITS with external guide: 5 euro.
Reductions: students with their guide, 3 euro

Online purchase of access tickets is strongly recommended. Click in the rates to access the shop

For more informations about your visit, please visit 
the page PLAN YOUR VISIT

THE VENUE & HISTORY

COLLECTION

THE NAVE

MAIN ALTAR AND APSE

THE CRYPT

THE ‘CHAPEL OF THE BALLET DANCERS’ AND THE SACRISTY

THE PICTURE GALLERY

THE RELICS

The works are housed in the church and in some of the nearby buildings recently restored. There are also new rooms where relics, liturgical objects and paintings are on display. The opening of the new complex by its curator Andrea Dall’Asta SJ - director of the San Fedele Gallery – in collaboration with the architect Mario Broggi who designed the layout, is the latest step in the journey, old and new, between art and faith undertaken by the San Fedele Museum. 

EXPLORE THE ITINERARY

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St Ignatius Chapel
Cerano, born G. Battista Crespi (Romagnano S. 1573 - Milano 1632) 
St Ignatius' Vision (1622)
Oil on canvas
Fabio Mangone (1622-1630) and Francesco Maria Richini (1633-1638) Giovanni Battista Crespi (a.k.a. Il Cerano) St Ignatius’ Vision (approx 1622) Oil on canvas This Chapel, the first on the right-hand side of the nave, is dedicat…
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The Deposition Chapel
Simone Peterzano (Bergamo 1540 ca. - Milano 1599)
Descent from the Cross (1573-1578)
Oil on canvas
290x185 cm
The Chapel houses the large altarpiece of the Deposition, relocated here after the demolition of the church of Santa Maria della Scala in 1776, where it was displayed in the Chapel of the Veronica – the Veronica being the woman standing in the …
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The Spinola - Rezzonico Chapel
Bernardino Luini's workshop, Madonna della Scala (early 16th century)
The chapel - on the left-hand side of the nave - houses the fresco of Madonna della Scala, probably moved here in the early 19th century following the demolition of the church of Madonna della Scala in 1776, to be replaced by Teatro alla Scala. Mary…
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The Guastalla Chapel
Lucio Fontana, Apparition of the Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Alacoque (1956)
Bas relief of 28 glazed ceramic tiles
Pellegrino Tibaldi (1570-1579) Lucio Fontana The Apparition of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1956) Situated next to the door to the Sacristy, this chapel houses the Guastalla altar - designed by Pellegrino Ti…
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Carved walnut confessionals by Brothers Taurino (end of 16th century)
Nine in all, these confessionals are true masterpieces of woodcarving and engraving skills. They are the work of the brothers Giovanni, Giacomo e Gian Paolo Taurino, sons of Rizzardo Taurino, of French origins, who was also a well-established wood ca…
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Pulpit attributed to Daniele Ferrari (17th century)
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Nanda Vigo - Private Collection
The rooms of Genesis Space have been specially created in the San Fedele Museum to house a selection of the works donated by the artist, architect and designer Nanda Vigo to the San Fedele Cultural Foundation (108 works in total). The unusual juxtap…
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Gallery - Domenico Fiasella
Domenico Fiasella (Sarzana 1589 - Genoa 1669)
Sacred Conversation
Madonna and Child, St. Hyacinth of Poland, St. Albert of Jerusalem and St. Jerome

17th century
oil on canvans
263x168 cm
Domenico Fiasella (Sarzana 1589 - Genoa 1669)  Sacred Conversation Madonna and Child, St. Hyacinth of Poland, St. Albert of Jerusalem and St. Jerome 17th century oil on canvans 263x168 cm
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Gallery - Lucio Fontana, Jorrit Tornquist, Joel Meyerowitz, Alexandr Archipenko, Vittorio Tavernari, Umberto Milani, Nicola De Maria, Jannis Kounellis, Luigi Ontani, Hidetoshi Nagasawa
Piedmontese School Sacred Heart 18th century Oil on canvas 150x120 cm Lucio Fontana (1899-1968) Sketch of the Apparition of Sacred Heart 1955 Pen drawing on paper 30x21 cm Lucio Fontana (1899-1968) Sketch of the Apparition of Sacred He…
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Gallery - Tintoretto, Juan de Flanders, Mario Sironi, Mimmo Paladino, Giambattista Langetti, Giacomo Favretto
Tintoretto, born Jacopo Robusti (1519-1594) St. Jerome's Vision of the Virgin end of 16th century Oil on canvans 122x112 cm Juan de Flanders Christ nailed to the Cross 14th - 15th century Tempera on wood 7x13 cm Mimmo Paladino (b. 1948)…
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G. Ambrogio Figino, Coronation of the Virgin (1583)
Giovanni Ambrogio Figino (Milano 1553 – 1608)
Coronation of the Virgin (1583)
Oil on canvas
276x172 cm
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Bernardino Campi, Transfiguration (1565)
Bernardino Campi (Cremona 1522 – Reggio Emilia 1591) with Carlo Urbino
Transfiguration and Saints (1565)
Oil on panel
309x185 cm
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Sacristy
Carved walnut armoirs by Daniele Ferrari (early 17th century)
San Fedele’s Sacristy is one of the most remarkable examples of its kind in Milan, representative of the style that flourished between the Counter-Reformation and the Baroque period. The room was designed by the architect Francesco M. Richini…
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Chapel of the "Ballet Dancers"
Chapel of the "Ballet Dancers"
This chapel, which was once accessible directly from the outside, treasures many testimonies of the city’s past: the fights between the richest families of Milan during the Middle Ages; the spiritual support to those sentenced to death; and the…
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Mimmo Paladino, Ex voto (2014)
The chapel houses an installation of silvered-bronze shoes fixed to the wall. The work, by Mimmo Paladino, a Transavantgarde artist, recalls the ex voto offerings. Paladino’s interpretation is a tribute to the tradition of La Scala theatre&rsqu…
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Corridor. Work by Sean Shanahan
Corridor
Work by Sean Shanahan (2013)
Mixed technique
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Main altar by P. Pestagalli (1835), statues by G. Monti. Claudio Parmiggiani, Crown of Thorns (2014). Ettore Frani, Glorious Sepulchre (2018).
Claudio Parmiggiani
Crown of Thornes
(2014)  
Barbed wire, nickel, gold
Ø 40 cm

Ettore Frani
Glorious Sepulchre
2018
Oil on laquered wood 
56 x 163,5 cm
The work Crown of Thorns on the main altar represents a reflection on the theme of the face, which is pivotal in the Christian faith: in particular, it is linked to the Veil of Veronica which, according to tradition, bore the likeness of the face of …
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Hexagon. Reliquiaries (18th-19th century). Nicola De Maria, New Jerusalem (2015). Alfonso Fratteggiani Bianchi, Madonna del parto (Madonna of childbirth) polyptych
Nicola De Maria
New Jerusalem
2015
mixed technique on wall

Alfonso Fratteggiani Bianchi
Madonna del parto (Madonna of childbirth) polyptych
2022
pigment on serena stone
The artist from Campania interprets in an original way the theme of the New Jerusalem, conceived as the place of feast, joy and of communion. Sancta Sanctorum is the hexagonal room located beneath the main altar. After being a depository for many ye…
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Inlaid choir stalls
Wooden choir (mid 16th century) – originally in the church of Santa Maria della Scala The choir, carved in walnut wood and comprising nineteen stalls, was originally in the 14th century church of Santa Maria della Scala. It was moved to San …
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David Simpson, Monochromes, New Jerusalem (1995)
David Simpson (born 1928)
New Jerusalem (1995)
Three monochromes 
Acrylic with crystals and titanium 
182x182 cm
David Simpson’s three monochrome canvases, painted using a titanium-and-crystal, acrylic-based paint - for which the American artist is famous and which is perfect for reflecting light - hang in the apse. Under the flood lamps on the ceiling an…
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Agostino Santagostino, St. Charles Borromeo carries the relics of St. Fidelis and St. Carpophorus (late 16th century)
Agostino Santagostino
(Milan about 1635 ca. - Mandello del Lario 1706) 
St. Charles Borromeo carries the relics of St. Fidelis and St. Carpophorus
(late 16th century)
Oil on canvas
610x400 cm
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Processional Cross (15th-16th century)
Golden copper, embossed silver, bronze, rock crystal, garnet, glass 
114x85 cm
The cross on the altar dates back to the late 15th century and was originally in the church of Santa Maria della Scala, demolished in 1776. It has had various later additions: the niello and embossed silver medallions from the early 16th century ar…
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Altar of the Dead Christ (17th century)
Andrea Fantoni
Dead Christ
(17th century)
painted wood

Sidival Fila
New Jerusalem
(2018)
installation
Andrea Fantoni Dead Christ (17th century) painted wood Sidival Fila New Jerusalem (2018) installation The installation consists of three different elements joint together in one work, inhabiting the space between the altar rear and the colu…
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Angels and Prophets, chalk sculptures (17th century)
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Lucio Fontana, Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) (1957)
Lucio Fontana
Via Crucis (Way of the Cross)
1957
14 terracotta tiles 
32x24 cm 
The Stations of the Cross by Lucio Fontana were originally created for the chapel of the all-girl boarding school ‘Le Carline’ in Milan. Following a refurbishment of the institute in the 1980s, the artwork was acquired by San Fedele Churc…
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Bambaia, Funeral monument of Lorenzo Toscani (1545-1547)
Bambaia, born Agostino Busti
(Busto Arsizio 1483 - Milano 1548)
Funeral monument of the bishop Lorenzo Toscani
(1545-1547)
marble
55x153x41 cm
The work is the remainder of a cenotaph, commissioned to Bambaia in 1545 by Alvise and Giovanni Paolo Toscani, nephews of Lorenzo, who had been bishop of Lodève (France). It comes from the church of Santa Maria della Scala and probably it is t…
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Lucio Fontana, Frieze (1957). Works by Sean Shanahan
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Relics of 365-day calendar. Liturgical objects (17th-19th century). Statues of St. Fidelis by Lucio Fontana and Mimmo Paladino
The little shrines, organized in daily order from the 1st of January to the 31st of December, contain the relics of all the saints of the Catholic calendar canonized until the beginning of the 19th century. They are the sign of the status enjoyed for…
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Habsburg tombs (18th-19th century)
Habsburg tombs (18th-19th centuries)
Leading to the Sacellum, the room that houses the tombs of members of the Habsburg family, is a threshold made of black marble. On it are the words from John’s Gospel: “I am the resurrection and the life, those who believe in me will live…
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Jannis Kounellis, Untitled (Unveiling) (2012)
Throughout history there have been many predictions of disasters and great catastrophes, often associated with symbolic dates, or seen as the outcome of esoteric calculations – like the Maya Apocalypse of 21st December 2012. The original mea…
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Nave
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Christian Megert, Frammentazione verso la Gerusalemme celeste (2018)
Frammentazioni verso la Gerusalemme celeste
Christian Megert
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Sidival Fila, Installazione sul tema della Gerusalemme Celeste (2018)
Sidival Fila,
Installazione sul tema della Gerusalemme Celeste (2018)
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Christiane Löhr, Samenwolke (seed cloud), 2020
Christiane Löhr, Samenwolke (seed cloud), 2020
It is difficult to express in a few words the rigorous work of Christiane Löhr, a student of Jannis Kounellis. For the author, who has always been involved in the creation of drawings, sculptures and installations, direct contact with nature and…
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Mats Bergquist, Daruma, 2015
Mats Bergquist, Daruma, 2015, raku pottery, h cm 33 x Ø cm 20 ca.
The title Daruma, chosen for the work by Swedish artist Mats Bergquist, refers to the traditional Japanese votive dolls depicting the Indian Buddhist monk Bodhidharma, initiator of the Zen school. These objects of devotion, roughly ovoid in shape and…
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Mats Bergquist, Votive ship, 2017
Mats Bergquist, Votive ship, 2017, encaustic on wood, ash, cm 300 x 30 x 40
The works by Swedish artist Mats Bergquist appear before our eyes like enigmatic, mysterious figures – as if capable, surrounded by silence, of delivering an arcane secret kept hidden since the dawn of time. The artist starts from wooden suppor…

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Discover the “Itinerary of Art and Faith”:
the artistic and religious dimensions
of San Fedele.

TIMETABLE 

 Wednesday - Sunday, 2 pm - 6 pm (tickets available until 5.45 pm)
On the above mentionetd opening days, except for guided tours, no reservation is required
 
ADMISSION
5 euro
Reductions: under 6, free; under 18, 3 euro; university students,
3 euro; disabled people, free

GUIDED VISITS WITH A MUSEUM'S GUIDE
10 euro 
Reductions: under 18, 5 euro; university students, 8 euro; disabled people, free
Reservations required

GUIDED VISITS WITH EXTERNAL GUIDE
5 euro
Reductions: students with their guide, 3 euro
Reservations required

For visits during the closing hours and days of the Museum: 15 euro

Online purchase of access tickets is strongly recommended. Click on the rates to access the shop.
 
INFORMATION and RESERVATIONS
museo@sanfedele.net

ADDRESS
Piazza San Fedele, 4  20121 MILANO - MM Duomo

ART, JESUITS and BOOKS

La luce, colore del desiderio. Percorsi tra arte e architettura, cinema e teologia dall’Impressionismo a oggi

La mano dell'angelo. La Vergine delle Rocce di Leonardo: il segreto svelato

Il viaggio della vita

La luce. Splendore del vero

La Croce e il Volto. Percorsi tra arte, cinema e teologia

Il Fontana “sbagliato”. Il fregio inedito per la Cappella del Sacro Cuore in San Fedele

I gesuiti e l’architettura. La produzione in Italia dal XVI al XVIII secolo

Pellegrino Tibaldi architetto e il San Fedele di Milano. Invenzione e costruzione di una chiesa esemplare

Il coro ligneo di S. Maria della Scala in S. Fedele

Nascere. Il Natale nell’arte

Dio storia dell’Uomo. Dalla parola all’immagine

Sentire con gli occhi. L’arte della Compagnia di Gesù: annuncio di fede e promozione della giustizia

Hidetoshi Nagasawa: nel segno della croce. Arte antica e contemporanea a confronto

Il destino dell’uomo. Mimmo Paladino

ITINERARY of ART and FAITH

San Fedele Museum – Itinerary of Art and Faith supports the initiative by Touring Club of Italy volunteers “Aperti per Voi” (Open for you).