Church of San Sepolcro in Milan

The Church of San Sepolcro is located in the eponymous square of Milan, next to the Ambrosian Library. Although it is not as famous as the grand Duomo and other cathedrals in Milan, in ancient times it was here, at the intersection of two main streets, that the city forum was located. How this place looked in antiquity, captured on his map Leonardo Da Vinci - it can still be seen in the mentioned library today. The great artist and inventor also sketched the church itself - as it was at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries (this sketch is kept in Anstity de France). However, the history of this house of prayer begins much earlier: about a thousand years ago.
Founded at the beginning of the 11th century on the initiative of Benedetto Ronzone, around 1100 the church was rebuilt and named San Sepolcro, in honor of the Jerusalem Church of the Holy Sepulcher - and in some ways repeated its outline. The main facade of the church is bordered by two towers - inside each of them there is a spiral staircase, with the help of which you can get from the upper level of the building to the lower one.
The layout of the church is Roman-Lombard, but it is not immediately noticeable to the visitor due to the abundance of baroque elements in the interior. They appeared here around 1605 according to conceived by the architect Aurellio Trezzi who directed the work. The upper part of the church has three narrow naves, separated by thin columns, and in front there is a small atrium.
In modern times, the Church of San Sepolcro was reconstructed more than once and restoration work was carried out in it, which quite significantly changed its appearance. Serious restoration took place here, in particular, in the years 1713-1719. But the current main facade in the Romano-Lombard style appeared at the temple in 1894-1897.
The last restoration in a row took place here quite recently: it lasted one year and one month - and ended in 2019. In the course of the work, the restorers discovered a cycle of frescoes that dates back to the 13th century.