Sant’Elena church, Catholic church in Milan, Italy.
Sant'Elena is a Catholic parish church north of Quarto Cagnino's historic core, built 1936–1940 to designs by Michele Marelli and Ernesto Saliva. Its exposed-brick facade is a perfect square split into three sections, the wider central one slightly projecting under a tympanum, with three pointed-arch windows hiding the bell cells. The plan follows a 12 m square module, giving a width and height of 24 m and a length of 60 m; inside, three cross-vaulted bays are separated by reinforced-concrete walls pierced by six arches each.
Sant'Elena was built from 1936 to 1940 to designs by architect Michele Marelli and engineer Ernesto Saliva, after Quarto Cagnino was detached from the parish of Trenno. Queen Elena and Cardinal Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster attended its inauguration on 17 June 1939, and the church was consecrated a week later. A decree of 15 October 1942 by Cardinal Schuster made it a parish, taking territory from Trenno.
The parish was created by a decree of Cardinal Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster on 15 October 1942, taking territory from the parish of Trenno. The church is named after Saint Helena, and its inauguration on 17 June 1939 drew Queen Elena, who shares the saint's name, and the cardinal himself.
The church is located in an easily accessible residential area and can be reached on foot. Visitors should time their visit around scheduled services, as the building functions primarily for religious activities.
The original 1936 design by Michele Marelli and Ernesto Saliva called for a separate bell tower, but it was never built; the bells instead sit in three pointed-arch openings in the upper facade. The 12 m square module gives the church a width and height of 24 m and a length of 60 m.
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