Page 210 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Italy

208  NOR THWEST IT AL Y

w Certosa di Pavia

The Charterhouse 8 km (5 miles) north of Pavia is the pinnacle of
Renaissance architecture in Lombardy, a gloriously decorated Carthusian
monastery built over 200 years. Conceived as a monument to Gian
Galeazzo Visconti, the Milanese ruler who founded the complex in 1396,
this shrine was created by the great
15th-century craftsman Giovanni
Antonio Amadeo, among others,
who used innovative techniques of
relief work and multicoloured
decoration. The Certosa is
still home to Carthusian
monks, who are under
a strict vow of silence.

Pietra Dura Altar
Several of the 17th-century
altars in the chapels have
lavish designs worked in
semi-precious stones
(pietra dura).

KEY
1 The side chapels are richly
decorated with marble, trompe
l’oeil frescoes and ornate altars
and altarpieces.
2 The interior of the church
is largely Gothic.
3 The grilles date from c.1660.
4 The choir stalls (15th century)
are deeply carved and inlaid with
intricate marquetry.
5 The tomb of Gian Galeazzo Tomb of Ludovico il Moro
Visconti (1351–1402) is in the and Beatrice d’Este
south transept. This realistic marble portrait
of Ludovico and his child
6 The New Sacristy is painted bride was begun by
with colourful ceiling frescoes. Cristoforo Solari in 1497,
7 Monk’s cell some 11 years before
8 This delightful arcaded Small Ludovico’s death.
Cloister, with fine terracotta .Bergognone’s Frescoes (c.1488–93)
ornamentation, contains a small This striking portrait of Christ is one of
garden, planted in formal designs. several frescoes by Bergognone in the
9 Main entrance to the Certosa. transept and chapels, together with an
altar painting of Sant’Ambrogio.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp565–9 and pp584–90

208-209_EW_Italy.indd 208 4/4/17 5:33 PM
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Starsight template “UK” LAYER
(Source v1.8)
Date 23rd July 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm