A mausoleum for the Gonzaga dynasty
The Church of the Blessed Virgin Crowned was intended to serve as a palatine chapel and pantheon for the dynasty. To ensure its care, Vespasian entrusted it to the Servite Friars, present in Sabbioneta since 1448. Built between 1586 and 1588, it has an octagonal central plan that is well suited to its function. mausoleum.
A game of prospect, between architecture and painting.
The decorative and architectural system of the mausoleum It offers an illusionistic game of great emotional impact where real architectures are compared and confused with fake coffers and boxes. The dome is the maximum expression of this: windows and large windows, which show parts of the sky, are painted in prospect to amplify the sensation of curvature.
The Golden Fleece
The highlight of the church is the tomb-mausoleum of Duke Vespasiano where he is buried with Golden Fleece, the highest honor that Emperors and Kings of the House of Habsburg granted to people they wished to honor.
The mausoleum, located to the left of the high altar, was commissioned from Giovan Battista della Porta by Isabella Gonzaga, to fulfill the wishes of her father Vespasiano. Above the monument stands a bronze statue of the Duke, dressed as an ancient Roman emperor, clutching a book in his right hand and raising his left as if shaping his ideal city.
