Current remains of San Giovanni in Conca visible from surface.

The surviving mullioned window of the apse.

San Giovanni in Conca is a crypt of a former basilica church in Milan, northern Italy. In terms of European architecture a crypt (from the Latin crypta and the Greek κρυπτη, kryptē) is a stone chamber or Milan (Milano Milan (listen) is one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest It is now located in the centre of Piazza Missori.

History

The basilica of San Giovanni in Conca dates from the 4th century AD, and was located in a residential quarter of the ancient city. Mediolanum, the ancient Milan, was an important Celtic and then Roman centre Remains of the mosaic pavement of this original edifice are now in the Arhcaeological Museum of Milan.

The church was rebuilt in the 11th century, but was destroyed by Frederick Barbarossa's troops in 1162. Frederick I Barbarossa (1122 &ndash 10 June 1190) was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned It was again reconstructed in the 13th century and later became the private chapel of the Visconti rulers of Milan. Visconti was the family name of two important Italian noble dynasties of the Middle Ages. The following is a list of rulers of Milan from the 13th century to 1859 when Milan and the rest of Lombardy were incorporated into the Kingdom of Bernabò Visconti had it connected to his new grandiose palace through a super-elevated walk, and was buried here in a monument by Bonino da Campione which is now in the Sforzesco Castle together with that of his consort, Regina della Scala. Bernabò Visconti, also called Barnabò (1319 &ndash 19 December 1385) was an Italian soldier and statesman Lord of Milan in the 14th century Bonino da Campione was an Italian sculptor in the Gothic style active between 1350 and 1390 Castello Sforzesco ( English: Sforza Castle is a castle in Milan, Italy that now houses several of the city's museum and art gallery collections

In 1531 Duke Francesco II Sforza donated it to the Carmelites, who erected a campanile which was utilized as astronomical observatory in the 19th century. Francesco II Sforza ( February 4 1495 &ndash October 24 1535) also known as Francesco Maria Sforza, was the last Duke of Milan The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Carmelites (sometimes simply Carmel by Synecdoche; Latin: Ordo fratrum Beatæ The church was deconsecrated by the Austrians and closed by the French in the late 18th century. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich

Rebuilt façade of San Giovanni in Conca in the modern Waldensian church of Milan.

In 1879 the church was shortened to allow the construction of the current Via Mazzini; in the occasion, the Gothic façade was attached to the apse. Year 1879 ( MDCCCLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common San Giovanni in Conca was then sold to the Waldensians who, when the church was demolished (1949), rebuilt the façade on their new church in Via Francesco Sforza. General description The earliest Waldensians believed in poverty and austerity promoting true poverty public preaching and the personal study of the scriptures Works of demolition were however halted just before their end, leaving only the crypt and remains of the apse.

Remains

San Giovanni in Conca ruins include the only extant example of Romanesque crypt in Milan. Regional characteristics of Romanesque architecture|Romanesque art Romanesque architecture is the term that is used to describe the architecture of Middle Ages Europe which In terms of European architecture a crypt (from the Latin crypta and the Greek κρυπτη, kryptē) is a stone chamber or It houses archaeological findings which illustrates the church's history.

Over the crypt are remains of the apse walls, with a single mullioned window and blind arches typical of the Milanese Romanesque. A mullion is a structural element which divides adjacent Window units

Artworks from the church which are now in the Sforzesco Castle include, apart the two aforementioned funerary monuments, two figures from an Annunciation (11th century), some Romanesque capitals and frescoes from the 14th century.

References

• Page about the church's history (Italian)