Chiesa di San Gottardo

The Chiesa di San Gottardo was built in 1336, as confirms the date on the wall, and had the function of Ducal Chapel of Azzone Visconti who, considering he suffered from gout, dedicated it to San Gottardo, and in which he had himself buried, three years later.

In 1770, Piermarini annulled the left-hand side and the facade so as to englobe the building within the Palazzo Reale, and only afterwards, in 1929, was the right-hand side adapted with a coeval doorway which gave access from via Pecorari.

On the outside one can admire the beautiful, octagonal bell tower which rises on a square-shaped platform. It is a masterpiece by Pecorari from Cremona and a first example of a public clock which caused great marvel due to its autonomatisms. The inside is composed by a single nave preceeded by a hall containing Ionic columns.

Amongst the masterpieces within the church, one can find: "The Crucifixion" of the grotesque school. Beside the alter there is a splendid painting by Giovan Battista Crespi, nicknamed Il Cerano, which shows San Carlo and dates back to the XVI century.