The dome rests on a low drum, which has the appearance of a large loggia that runs along the entire circumference, which alternates open mullioned windows and blind double lancet windows. The apse of Bramante consists of a cube of imposing size, at the center of which stands the hemispherical dome, connected by spandrels. The aisles are covered with cross vaults and flanked by rows of seven side chapels, illuminated by the central rose window and by the two lancet windows. Inside, the church has three wide aisles, separated by stone columns. The sober decoration consists only of molded terracotta reliefs that frame the lancet and the rose windows, and small arches that embelish the crowning. The width of the facade is almost twice the height. The simple gabled facade of the church is divided into five sectors by six buttresses. The post-war reconstruction was only partial. The refectory was razed to the ground, but some walls were saved, including the one that holds the Last Supper. On the night of August 15, 1943, the Anglo-American bombers hit the church and the convent. Outside, the apse was freed from the buildings that surrounded it, and the bell tower was rebuilt.
Inside the church, the original 15th-century frescoes were rediscovered. For this, a new wing was added to the convent, demolished only in 1785, at the same time with the suppression of the Court by order of Maria Theresa of Austria.Īt the end of the 19th century, the church was affected by an important restoration carried out under the direction of the architect Luca Beltrami. Starting with 1539, the complex became the seat of the Court of the Inquisition, run by the Dominican fathers. The apse is traditionally attributed to Donato Bramante, although documentary evidence is lacking. In 1492, the new Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, also known as il Moro (the Moor), decided to rebuilt the cloister and the apse of the church. Terracotta was used for the walls, while granite was used for the columns and capitals. The project was for a basilica with 3 naves, with ogival vaults and a gabled facade. Simultaneously with the construction of the convent, the building of the church began. Thanks to the patronage of the Vimercati, the convent was completed in 1469. On September 10, 1463, the first stone was laid, and the work began under the supervision of the architect Guiniforte Solari. On this land, there was a small chapel dedicated to Santa Maria delle Grazie (Holy Mary of Grace), where the Dominicans decided to built a new church. In 1460, the Congregation of Dominicans in Milan received a piece of land from Count Gaspare Vimercati. The church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is famous for housing Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, which is located in the refectory of the convent. The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie is a church in Milan, located in the square of the same name.
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