Church of the Holy Body of Christ, Gothic church in Brescia, Italy.

The Church of the Holy Body of Christ stands on a north-south axis with its facade facing south, at the top of the staircase from Via Musei toward the castle. The single nave has a ribbed vault and a polygonal apse whose floor lies three metres below the outside ground. The walls, presbytery and apse carry the 16th-century fresco cycle by Benedetto da Marone.

The Gesuati founded the church and monastery in the second half of the 15th century, with the building site opened in 1467 on land donated by the Brescian Martinengo family, who added further donations in 1467 and 1468. The church was consecrated in 1501 and became the Martinengo family church, where its members were buried. In 1565 Fra Benedetto da Marone hid the exposed trusses under a ribbed vault and covered walls, presbytery and apse with frescoes on salvation through the Body and Blood of Christ.

The name reflects the central role of the Eucharist, which became the focus of the fresco program added in the 16th century. These painted scenes were designed to teach spiritual lessons through images that visitors could easily grasp while moving through the space.

The church stands on Via Giovanni Piamarta at the top of the staircase climbing from Via Musei toward the castle on Colle Cidneo. The facade is visible along the straight axis of Via Piamarta and Via Veronica Gambara, even from the crossing with Via Tosio Martinengo about 400 metres away. The complex, with its three cloisters, is run by the Saverian Fathers.

The popular name San Cristo is a misnomer: the church is dedicated not to Christ as a person but to his Holy Body, that is, to the Eucharist, so the only correct title is Santissimo Corpo di Cristo. The building also breaks convention by running north-south with its facade facing south, forced by the slope of Colle Cidneo; the apse floor sits three metres below the outside ground.