San Paolo Converso, Former baroque church in central Milan, Italy
San Paolo Converso is a former baroque brick church in central Milan. The interior has a single nave with a barrel-vaulted ceiling and was originally divided by a wall into two separate sections, one for public worship and one reserved for the nuns of the convent.
Construction began in 1549, funded by Countess Ludovica Torelli, who sold her fiefdom to pay for the church and its convent for the Angelical nuns. When the convent was suppressed in the early 19th century, the building passed into secular hands and its use changed several times.
The interior walls are covered with large paintings by the Campi brothers from Cremona, showing religious scenes in rich colors. These works date from the time of the nuns and today hang inside a space used for contemporary art exhibitions.
The building is now run by Fondazione Converso as an art space and is not always open to the public. It is worth checking the current program in advance, as opening times depend on which events or exhibitions are scheduled.
After its deconsecration in 1808, the building served as a warehouse and then as a concert hall before it became an art space. Through all those changes of use, the Campi brothers' original paintings remained on the walls.
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