Santa Maria in Silva, Neoclassical church in Brescia, Italy
Santa Maria in Silva is a neoclassical church in Brescia featuring a symmetrical facade with columns and a central dome. The structure follows the geometric principles typical of 19th century neoclassical architecture.
The first stone was laid on 14 August 1853, and the church was blessed on 27 November 1857. It replaced a 16th-century church across Via Corsica, demolished after Austrian soldiers looted it in 1849. The land was donated by Bartolomeo Facchi, and Rodolfo Vantini waived his fee, asking only for drawing hours and paper.
The church holds a fresco by Angelo Inganni, a canvas by Lattanzio Gambara and a painting by an anonymous 16th-century artist. Locals long called it Santa Maria dei Custù, after the vegetable growing of the area, and popular devotion kept the name Santa Maria in Silva over the official title Santa Maria del Buon Viaggio.
The church sits near the end of Via Corsica, just before the transition to Piazza della Repubblica. It is easily accessible from central Brescia and the surrounding neighborhood.
The church was briefly given the title "Santa Maria del Buon Viaggio" in 1855, when planners sketched its convenient distance from the new station. Popular devotion kept the older name of the demolished church instead, and locals also called it "Santa Maria dei Custù" after the area's vegetable growing.
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