Sant'Alessandro in Zebedia

Sant'Alessandro in Zebedia is a parish church in Milan, Italy. It is a distinctive example of the early Lombard Baroque.^[1]

Church of Saint Alexander of Bergamo in Zebedia (Church of Sant'Alessandro in Zebedia)
Façade of the church.
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Province	Milan
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	National monument
Status	Active
Location
Location	Milan, Italy
Geographic coordinates	45°27′39″N 9°11′13″E
Architecture
Architect(s)	Francesco Maria Richino Lorenzo Binago
Type	Church
Style	Baroque
Groundbreaking	1601

The church in a mid nineteenth-century print

History

The original church was built in the 5th century, on the ruins of the Pretorium which tradition holds was the prison that held the martyred Sant'Alessandro.^[2] The name in Zebedia derives from the name of the prison in which the martyr was imprisoned.^[3]

Its construction for the Barnabite order began in 1601 to a design by Lorenzo Binago.^[4] Francesco Maria Richini also contributed to the project. The first church of Sant Alessandro was demolished, along with the nearby San Pancrazio. The first stone of the church was laid on 30 March 1602 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo.^[3]

It comprises a principal building on the Greek cross plan with a central dome, and a separate presbytery which also has a dome. By early 1627, the center dome had developed deep cracks and was demolished. Architect Fabio Mangone was brought in as a consultant. Richini redesigned the dome, and carried out Mangone's recommendations.^[5]

The façade, with decorations in bas-relief, has two campaniles.^[3]

The interior includes works by important artists including Camillo Procaccini (an Assumption, a Nativity and a Crucifixion) and Daniele Crespi (a Flagellation). There is also an altarpiece in the first chapel on the right by Ossana.^[6]

See also

• History of early modern period domes