The Santa Maria del Carmine Church is a Gothic-style church in the historic center of Pavia. The beautiful bell tower was added only in the mid-15th century. On the south side of the church there is an interesting cloister.
Santa Maria del Carmine Church Pavia
Useful information
Address: Piazza del Carmine – 27100 Pavia. Phone: +39 038227357. Opening hours: From 07:00 to 12:00 and from 15:00 to 19:00. Entrance: Free.
History and description
Construction of the Santa Maria del Carmine Church lasted from 1374 to 1461. The architect, Bernardo da Venezia, had worked on The Castello Viscontea before that. The architectural style of this Carmelite church is Lombardic Gothic.
By the end of the 14th century, when the construction of the Certosa di Pavia was started, work was interrupted for several years.
Pillars divide the facade is divided into 5 parts. Each pillar ends in a thin spire. There is an additional spire in the middle. There is a rose window above the central entrance. On both sides of the main entrance there are two smaller doors.
The windows of the bell tower, built in 1450, are decorated with montants, as are those of the facade.
The interior of the church consists of three naves and two side aisles. The floor plan is that of a Latin cross. On either side of the nave are a number of side chapels.
What to see
The columns supporting the vaults and demarcating the naves are painted with 14th and 15th century frescoes. The first column on the left is decorated with a “Pietá” from 1513, while the 8th one depicts a “Madonna between Santa Lucia and San Lucio.”
In the presbytery there is a beautiful marble altarpiece with a large statue, on which a smaller one rests.
The paintings in the transept also date from the 14th and 15th centuries. Here you can admire an “Annunciation of the Lord”, a “Madonna and Child” and, near the side entrance, a “Saint Christopher”. The highlight is the “Madonna and Child between Sant’Anna, San Giovanni and San Gioacchino” (1515) by Bernardino Lanzani.
The ornamental plasterwork and statues were added a century later.
The side chapels are also richly decorated with paintings and frescoes. These were paid for by local guilds and aristocratic families. In the 6th chapel on the right a “Sant’Anna” can be seen, along with the different stages of wool processing. In the 5th chapel on the left is the tomb of Bernardino da Feltre, patron saint of the bakers’ guild.