The Basilica of Santa Maria di Campagna is a jewel of Renaissance architecture, a masterpiece from the mature period of the Piacenza architect Alessio Tramello.
The church was built between 1522 and 1528 to provide a worthy home for the polychrome wooden image of the miraculous “Madonna della Campagnola”.
The architecture
The geometrically precise façade preludes an interior rich in pictorial ornamentation, paintings and decorations.
The cycle of frescoes by the painter Giovanni Antonio de’ Sacchis, known as Il Pordenone, is of exceptional quality. He left some of his most significant works here (1529-31). Entering on the left-hand side, you will find the recently restored painting dedicated to St. Augustine. This is followed by the chapels with the stories of the Magi and St. Catherine, commissioned from the Friulian painter by local noble families.
The dome
However, the most impressive work, begun by Pordenone and completed by Bernardino Gatti, known as Il Sojaro, is the dome. The culmination and starting point of the decoration is God the Father in the lantern; looking down, you can see the Prophets and Sibyls with their piercing “terribili scurti” (terrible glances), a distinctive feature of the artist. Pordenone’s work ended with the ovals and the frieze, where religious themes alternate with pagan subjects, also using monochrome as a reference to antiquity.
Following a “call back home”, Giovanni Antonio de’ Sacchis did not complete the commission for the friars.
The Basilica of Santa Maria di Campagna was the ducal church, where the Farnese family celebrated baptisms and victories and prayed in times of difficulty. A sculpture by Mochi depicting Ranuccio Farnese looks down on the altar from above, while behind the altar itself, a plaque commemorates the burial of Isabella and Francesco Farnese.
The climb
From 30 December 2023, it will be possible to climb up to the dome and admire the work of Pordenone and Sojaro up close.
Ascents on Saturdays and Sundays at 4 and 5 p.m. Info on the official website.