Description
The Basilica of Santa Barbara is the court church of the Gonzagas, tucked away in a small square among the buildings of the Ducal Palace in Mantua. Duke Guglielmo commissioned it, and Giovan Battista Bertani designed it, between 1562 and 1572.
Inside, light falls from two lanterns above the nave. On the high altar is the Martyrdom of Saint Barbara by Domenico Brusasorci, from 1564; on either side hang two large canvases by Lorenzo Costa the Younger. The bell tower, finished in 1565, ends in a small round temple.
Guglielmo loved music and made the church a place of ceremonies with first-rate choirs. The Antegnati organ of 1565 still tells that story, with its carved and gilded case and shutters painted by Fermo Ghisoni.
The basilica had a liturgy of its own, different from the Roman rite. During the 2007 restoration, the remains of several Gonzaga dukes were found in the church, among them Federico II and Guglielmo himself.
Inside, light falls from two lanterns above the nave. On the high altar is the Martyrdom of Saint Barbara by Domenico Brusasorci, from 1564; on either side hang two large canvases by Lorenzo Costa the Younger. The bell tower, finished in 1565, ends in a small round temple.
Guglielmo loved music and made the church a place of ceremonies with first-rate choirs. The Antegnati organ of 1565 still tells that story, with its carved and gilded case and shutters painted by Fermo Ghisoni.
The basilica had a liturgy of its own, different from the Roman rite. During the 2007 restoration, the remains of several Gonzaga dukes were found in the church, among them Federico II and Guglielmo himself.