Oratorio di Mocchirolo, Lentate sul Seveso, Religious oratory in Lentate sul Seveso, Italy

The Oratorio di Mocchirolo, also called Oratorio di San Grato or Santa Maria Nascente, is a private chapel in Mocchirolo, a hamlet of Lentate sul Seveso. It is built of brick and cobblestone as two interlocking blocks covered by a barrel vault; the facade, restored in the 17th century, ends in a marble tympanum above a squared portal and a large rectangular window.

Lanfranco Porro, a Visconti official and referendary of Regina della Scala in Bergamo, had the oratory built in 1369 at Mocchirolo, in what is now Lentate sul Seveso. He also commissioned the nearby Oratory of Santo Stefano in Lentate, where he established his burial place. The frescoes are attributed to Pecino da Nova, documented as Magister Petrus de Nova in Bergamo between 1354 and 1402.

The walls display copies of original frescoes showing Saint Ambrose and the Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine, while the originals are kept at the Pinacoteca di Brera. These artworks reveal the deep religious beliefs of the family who commissioned the building.

Visiting requires advance reservation since this prayer house stands on private property and only opens during special events such as Ville Aperte in Brianza. It is best to plan ahead and confirm availability before making the trip.

The frescoes were detached in 1949 by Mauro Pellicioli and donated by the owners Renato and Luigi Passardi to the Pinacoteca di Brera, where they are reassembled in a room reproducing their original layout. The chapel now shows reproductions in their place.