The history of the church of San Francesco Grande can be described in three main phases between its creation in the first centuries of the Christian era and its destruction in 1806. This history benefits from the archaeological research carried out during several excavation campaigns: a first one in 1939-1940 under the management of Aristide Calderini, then a second one in two phases conducted in 2006-2008 and a third one in 2011–2012 on the occasion of the creation of a car park on the Place Saint Ambrose.
The early centuries of Christianity In ancient times, the site to be occupied by the church of San Francesco Grande was located outside the city walls, a short distance from a gateway to the circus area and the imperial palace. From the 1st century of the Christian era onwards, this place was part of a vast space that developed as a
necropolis made up of several funerary nuclei that were still commonly used until the 3rd century of the Common Era and then more sporadically afterwards. These nuclei are organised around dwellings serving as churches, each with its own cemetery. The complex thus houses the remains of ancient Christian
martyrs, constituting the first Christian cemetery in Milan.
Saint Ambrose called it the "Cemetery of the Saints" (in Italian: ''Cimiterio de' santi
) or the "Cemetery of the Martyrs" (in Latin: ad martyres'') in his memoirs. Excavations show that, despite the construction of churches, the area was used as a burial ground at a later date, with tombs dating from the 5th century. Amongst these houses, there is in particular that of Filippo de 'Oldani, a Roman consul of the time of
Nero who secretly converted to Christianity and buried the remains of St. Gervais and St. Protais here. Then, in the following century, the remains of
St. Nabor and St. Felix, who died during the reign of the co-emperor
Maximian Hercules, were transferred there from
Lodi by Bishop Materne of Milan (episcopate after 314 and before 342). The transfer is the occasion of festivities that take place in the presence of one of the reigning co-emperors of the
Tetrarchy. on the site where Saint Victor had been buried, in the "house of Fausta", named after the daughter of Filippo. The Italian priest and historian Paolo Rota (1832 - 1911), however, dates it slightly earlier, to the 7th century. On 14 March 1263 the
Pope allowed them to take possession of the church of San Nabore. They then restructured the two buildings to form a single one and named it the "Church of Saint Francis". The first occurrence of this name dates back to 1387 in a calendar of the order, thus confirming the fusion of the basilica and the chapel. Finally, the church was extended and modified between 1570 and 1571.
The chapel and the brotherhood of the Immaculate Conception File:Leonardesco, forse ambrogio de predis, angelo di sx della vergine delle rocce di londra.jpg|alt=Painting of an angel in an alcove, draped in green and playing a fiddle.|
Angel musician playing the fiddle attributed to Francesco Napoletano (Between 1495 and 1499,
London,
National Gallery). File:Leonardo da Vinci Virgin of the Rocks (National Gallery London).jpg|alt=Painting representing four figures (a woman in the centre, between two babies, and a winged figure on the right) on a cavernous background.|
The Virgin of the Rocks by
Leonardo da Vinci (Between 1491 and 1499, then between 1506 and 1508,
London,
National Gallery). File:Ambrogio de predis, angelo di dx della vergine delle rocce di londra.jpg|alt=Painting of an angel in an alcove, draped in red and playing a lute.|
Angel musician playing a lute painted by
Giovanni Ambrogio de Predis (Between 1495 and 1499,
London,
National Gallery). In 1475, Father Master Stefano da Oleggio proposed the creation of a chapel This was taken from a plot of land called "Filippo's garden" (in Italian:
orto di Filippo), located close to the atrium, against the chapel of St.
John the Evangelist, going towards Via Santa Valeria and Via San Ambrogio. The masonry work was completed in May 1479. The chapel was the last to be built within the church. In fact, the brotherhood is richly endowed. (1484): an element of comparison to see what the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception might have looked like. The object of this brotherhood was new: to promote and defend the
dogma of the
Immaculate Conception, which was still very much debated since it had only been accepted since 1470 by the papacy, which did not officially proclaim it until 1854; the novelty and precariousness of this dogma thus partly explain the prudence of its members at the time of the reception of
The Virgin of the Rocks. An agreement was signed on 1 June 1478 before Antonio di Capitani,
notary of the nearby
parish of Santa Maria alla Porta, whose services the brotherhood had often used since its creation, defining the links between the newly created brotherhood and the monastery responsible for the church. On this occasion, several prescriptions were issued by those in charge of the church, including one of an absolute nature, which forbids the creation of any opening to the outside of the building. the contractual description of this decoration indicates a representation of God surrounded by a glory of
seraphim and four other panels with animals. The altarpiece was delivered on 7 August 1482 and still needs to be decorated. In that year, a new prior of the confraternity is appointed, Giannantonio da Sant'Angelo. However, the brotherhood continued its activities: the chapel of Saint John the Baptist, situated to the right of the choir, was allocated to it. This chapel was renamed the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception and the altarpiece was moved there. Around 1635, a testimony indicates that the altarpiece is surrounded by other "small paintings" which are also said to be by Leonardo da Vinci. Three centuries after its creation, in 1781, the brotherhood was dissolved: its goods were then taken over by the brotherhood of Saint Catherine de la Roue and sold between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, starting with La Vierge aux rochers in 1785. From 1685 onwards, the decision was taken to transform the oldest part of the church. However, on 6 September 1688 the related work led to the collapse of the
façade. It was then decided not to restore but to rebuild the building. All the authorisations were received by the monastery on 3 October 1689: The work of partial destruction and then reconstruction then began and lasted until 1697. ,
Arco della Pace, 1807 - 1838,
Milan, Piazza Sempione. When
Napoleon Bonaparte created the
Cisalpine Republic in 1797, the church was damaged and looted, especially the
relics of the
saints that had been kept there since medieval times. A few years later, in 1806, the church of San Francesco Grande, considered obsolete and dangerous, was destroyed. The work continued until 1813. Finally, a barracks was built on its site: its plans were created by Lieutenant-Colonel Girolamo Rossi and its foundations partially used those of the pre-existing church. Until 1843 the barracks were called the
Caserma dei Reali Veliti, after the military corps set up by the Cisalpine Republic, and from then on the Garibaldi barracks. == Building description ==