The Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli stands along Corso Martiri della Libertà in Brescia. Its construction was prompted by the plague that struck the city between 1480 and 1484, after reports spread of miracles associated with a house fresco of the Virgin and Child in the San Nazaro neighborhood. The municipality acquired the building in 1486, initiating construction of the sanctuary in 1488.
What to see
The sanctuary is renowned for its sculpted marble facade, whose lower level was completed by the Sanmicheli workshop before 1500. Sixteen sculptors contributed to the elaborate central ornamentation, including Gaspare da Cairano, Antonio della Porta, and Giovan Battista and Giovanni Stefano da Sesto. Four internal domes are obscured externally by an octagonal apse and tiburium. Inside, the decorative architectural structure is attributed to Gasparo Cairano and his workshop. For the first dome, Cairano created a cycle of Apostles in 1489, arranged alongside a cycle of Angels sculpted by Tamagnino. The presbytery contains a painted series of the Stories of Jesus created by local painters including Tommaso Bona and Pier Maria Bagnadore. The church formerly housed Moretto's 1539 Pala Rovelli, now preserved in the Tosio Martinengo Gallery. On the choir gallery stands a 1974 mechanical-action Koch pipe organ with 13 registers across two manuals and pedal, installed in 2019.
Visiting
World War II bombings severely damaged the sanctuary, destroying most of the interior frescoes, stucco work, and the original Tonoli organ located on the counter-facade. However, the marble facade and the sculptures of the first dome survived undamaged, allowing the building to be rebuilt around its original Renaissance stonework. The interior houses the original 15th-century fresco of the Virgin and Child, positioned inside the sanctuary in 1580 following directions given by Saint Charles Borromeo during his visit to Brescia.
Our editors' tip
When viewing the first dome from inside, observe the alternating sequence of sculpted figures: the Apostles by Gasparo Cairano interspersed with the cycle of Angels by Tamagnino, both completed in 1489.