Basilica of Santa Maria di Campagna, Piacenza, Italy

The Basilica of Santa Maria di Campagna in Piacenza was built to replace an earlier small oratory known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria in Campagnola. The first documented mention of this earlier sanctuary dates back to 1030, when a source reports devotion to the sacred oil of a well dedicated to the Holy Martyrs. According to tradition, the well was the site where a large number of Christian martyrs were buried during the Diocletian persecution of Christians in 303 AD. In the same year, a priest named Valfredo purchased land adjacent to the oratory and donated it to the abbot of the Church of San Savino, with the intention of building a monastic cell dedicated to the care of the religious site.

In front of the sacred building, the Council of Piacenza in 1095, led by Pope Urban II, marked a pivotal moment in history when the decision to call the First Crusade was made. The Crusade was later proclaimed during the Council of Clermont in the same year. This event is commemorated by the dedication of the square in front of the basilica, named the “Square of the Crusades.” In 1522, the agreement to construct a new church was signed between the Fabbricieri Company and the Piacenza architect Alessio Tramello to accommodate the increasing number of faithful visiting the site. The first stone of the new building was laid on April 13, 1522, by Cardinal Scaramuccia Trivulzio, and the construction was completed within six years. The design of the church was influenced by Bramante’s architectural style while retaining its own unique elements.

Originally assigned to the secular clergy, the church was later entrusted to the Minor Observant Friars in 1547, who began constructing a convent at the same time, using recycled materials from the demolition of a church dedicated to Saint Vittoria. Once the church was completed, the Venetian painter Antonio de’ Sacchis, also known as Pordenone, was commissioned to decorate the interior between 1530 and 1535. Pordenone worked on frescoing the dome and the Chapel of Saint Catherine of Alexandria. The chapel, commissioned by Caterina Scotti and her husband Francesco Paveri Fontana, also features Pordenone’s work on the Adoration of the Magi. His pupil Bernardino Gatti, known as Sojaro, continued Pordenone’s work after 1543, painting the Apostles, the Stories of the Virgin in the drum, and the four Evangelists in the pendentives.

The Duke of Parma and Piacenza, Ranuccio I Farnese, was a notable patron of the sanctuary. In 1615, he commissioned Francesco Mochi to create a stucco statue of him kneeling in devotion. This statue was placed on a shelf on one of the pillars supporting the dome. In 1625, the church was passed into the care of the Reformed Friars.

Originally designed as a central Greek cross-plan building, the basilica’s structure was altered in 1791 based on a project by architect Lotario Tomba. The arm of the cross was lengthened in the presbytery area, resulting in the demolition of the chapel located there. The church’s floor plan was thus transformed into an inverted Latin cross, with the new extension housing a choir. During the Napoleonic era, the convent was suppressed, and the friars were forced to leave. In 1870, the friars were once again evicted, and the building was repurposed as a mental asylum. In response, the friars constructed a new convent in 1897, situated opposite the church, on the other side of Via Campagna.

Notable Art and Artists

The Basilica of Santa Maria di Campagna is renowned for its rich collection of art, particularly its frescoes by Pordenone and Bernardino Gatti. Pordenone’s masterpieces include the fresco altarpiece in the Chapel of the Magi, depicting the arrival of the three Magi to visit the newborn Jesus. Notably, one of the Magi is depicted as a man of African descent, and others are dressed in elaborate Turkish attire. To the left of this fresco, Pordenone painted the Birth of the Virgin. In the Chapel of Saint Catherine, Pordenone’s frescoes depict the Disputation of Saint Catherine with philosophers and the Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine. The ceiling of the church features additional paintings by Giovanni Antonio Sacchi (Il Pordenone) and Bernardino Gatti.

The marble pavement of the basilica was completed by the Milanese artist Giambattista Carrà in 1595. A marble statue of Ranuccio I Farnese, created by Baroque sculptor Francesco Mochi in 1616, stands as a tribute to the Duke’s devotion to the sanctuary. Other notable artworks in the church include contributions from Camillo Procaccini, Gaspare Traversi, Ferrante Moreschi, Paolo Bozzini, Ludovico Pesci, and Daniele Crespi. The Basilica of Santa Maria di Campagna remains a testament to the region’s rich history, culture, and devotion, with its stunning art, architecture, and sacred significance continuing to draw pilgrims and art lovers alike.