Madonna del Lino, Brescia

Church from the piazza

Madonna del Lino or Santa Maria del Mercato del Lino is a Roman Catholic church located on the Southwest corner of Piazza Mercato in Brescia, region of Lombardy, Italy. Coordinates: 45°32′15″N 10°13′04″E / 45.5374014°N 10.2178063°E / 45.5374014; 10.2178063

History

Construction of the church, awkwardly placed flanking the piazza, began in 1608 to designs by Pietro Maria Bagnadore, aiming to shelter a venerated icon of the Madonna and Child that had been painted on a fountain at the site. The church takes its name from the Market of the Linens (lino) that was previously held in the piazza. The small church has a round, two layer dome placed atop a square nave with a short bell-tower.

An inventory of works in 1826 noted an altarpiece of St Anne and young St Mary with Sts Joseph and John the Baptist by Andrea Celesti.^[1] At present the church holds only remnants of frescoes by Giovanni Paolo Cavagna. The Celesti altarpiece is now in the Sacristy, and was replaced by a St Charles, Antony of Padua, Anne and Joseph venerate the Crucifix by Antonio Dusi.

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