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Here in the “braida”, they built a monastery, then a cloister and, in 1229, the Church of Holy Mary, a Romanic temple with three naves, rebuilt in Gothic style in 1347, whose façade was pulled down in 1810 (some of the rests are currently displayed in the Ancient Art museum hosted in Castello Sforzesco).
The back side of the church was preserved and incorporated to the palace that currently houses the Academy. The monastery and the church arose where via Brera and via Pontaccio are now located.
Towards the end of the 16th century, Cardinal Borromeo abolished the Humiliati order and, in 1572, the monastery passed to the Jesuits order that managed it for almost two centuries under the Spanish domination. The Jesuits brought radical reorganization, installing the theological school, a library and an observatory.
The success of the Jesuitical schools is documented by an exceptional number of students compared to the period average, as beyond 2.000 members were recorded. Further to this, the high quality of teaching and the variety of subjects taught transformed these schools into “Universities”.
As a consequence, the whole building needed to be enlarged. In 1583, thanks to the Pope’s approval, the architect Francesco Maria Richini was appointed to transform Brera from a monastery into a palace.
After the first intense activities coordinated by Martino Bassi, following Francesco Maria Richini’s (1584-1658) project, the “Collegium” was erected. Among its main sights, we would recommend the large yard surrounded by a portico and by a monumental double-flight staircase, the monumental neo-classic entrance by Piermarini (1734–1808), built under the Hapsburg domination and enriched during the 19th century by some statues representing a few eminent Milan’s artists. In particular, we would like to mention the divine Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker, situated in the centre of the courtyard and inspired to Canova’s model (1757-1822).
In 1773, the Company of Jesus was abolished too, and under Maria Teresa of Austria the College of Brera became a secular school. The structure was significantly broadened and the Library, the astronomical observatory (opened in 1764) and the botanic garden (1774) were added to the complex.
Friar Fulgenzio Witman was responsible for this project and great importance was given to the botany school.
In 1776 the prestigious Brera Academy of Arts was opened. Giuseppe Piermarini (1734-1808) was appointed to extend Brera palace, crowned by its splendid portal.
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