CERTOSA DI PAVIA

The Charterhouse of Pavia is one of the most characteristic masterpieces of Lombard art. It is a remarkable example of the Italian Renaissance and had a strong influence on the French Renaissance. The Gratriarum Cartusia (Charterhouse of the Graces), located off-centre from the city, was built by several architects during the reign of the Duke of Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, in 1396. The Duke wanted to use it as a mausoleum for his family. Additions were made in the 15th century and again in the 18th century.

Two buildings line the courtyard in front of the church: on the right, the former 17th-century palace of the Dukes; on the left, the former sculptors' workshops, now a small museum. Framed by the two, rises the superb facade: completed in 1470, it is a true symphony of polychrome marbles which surprises by the elaboration of its decoration. The lower half was built in two stages, by the Mantegazza brothers between 1473 and 1499. The upper half was built later, in 1560 by the architect Cristoforo Lombardo.

Although the interior is gothic in structure, it presents an incredibly innovative decorative language for the time, especially in the transept and in the choir. As soon as you enter, above the left-hand chapels, notice the two Carthusian monks in trompe l'oeil looking down on the visitor from their geminated windows. Above, the altarpiece of the Eternal Father by Perugino (1523). The deep blue vault is illuminated by painted stars. Among the most beautiful frescoes, in the cul-de-four that houses the right altar of the transept, is the one by Bergognone representing Gian Galeazzo Visconti offering the Virgin a model of the Charterhouse. In the transept, the Visconti funeral monuments are preserved. On the north side, the recumbent figures of Ludovico il Moro and Beatrice d'Este, sculpted by Cristoforo Solari (1497), are surprisingly realistic. The south transept contains the monumental tomb of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, topped by an elegant tabernacle. Not to be missed in the ancient sacristy: the triptych by Baldassare degli Embriachi, a majestic altarpiece entirely carved in ivory and hippopotamus teeth. Here dozens of small scenes illustrate the life of the Virgin, Christ and the Magi. Among the many representations of the Virgin, the most beautiful is the Madonna with a carnation (late 15th century) by Bernardino Luini in the Washroom. Two charming cloisters adjoin the church. The individual cells where the Carthusian monks lived until 1968 look out onto the larger one, which is lined with arcades.