Appearance of the church facing a large square. There is also a big church on the right.
This is a church near the center of Milan. From its outside, it seems a normal church but it has a special chapel less known even among local peoples. It would be a quite incredible place, which might upset your point of view of the life. Perhaps it would be more impressive than Milan Cathedral in other meaning.
The foundation of this church dates back to the 8th century. It was built in order to enshrine the spirits of the people died in the hospital. In 1679 it was rebuilt and remains like today. It takes about 10 minutes by walk from the Duomo. Inside there is a very special chapel.
Entering the church, there is a big building in front. At the altar on the right, a saint (relative of Columbus) is enshrined. And its special chapel is found on the right side. Just after the door leading to the chapel, you would feel a cool air... The passage goes on and reaches to a special chapel with spiritual mysterious atmosphere.
Walls of the chapel are made with more than 2,000 human skulls. The large cross is shaped also by skulls and in the center there is a statue of praying Mary surrounded by death. On the ceiling there is a beautiful picture of heaven, which implies the life and death as if it's appealing to visitors the extremes of living life. The skulls used for the building are those of people who had died during the war in a field hospital. It must be that there are some people not Italian. There are also small skulls of children. It's just questioning the meaning of life to us from the back of the cavity.
Since also fervent believers come to visit here, we don't put the photos of the Chapel. Please be cautious about the manner of admission.
Name | Chapel of St. Bernardin (Santuario Arcivescovile di San Bernardino alle Ossa di Milano) |
Address | Verziere, 2-20123 Milano-Italy |
Phone number | +39 02.8556304 |
How to reach | 10 minutes walk from the Duomo in Milan. Near the Piazza Santo Stefano. |
Closed | Sunday |
Opening Hours | Monday-Friday 7:30-12:30 / 13:00-18:00 Saturday 7:30-12:30 |
Map | View Larger Map |