ITINERARY – BRESCIA
Church of
San Giovanni Evangelista
Church of San Giovanni Evangelista
According to tradition the bishop Gaudentius founded the ancient nucleus of this church, called Concilium Sanctorum, between 400 and 402 AD. to place relics of Saints collected by him. he church stood outside the walls until the great expansion of the XII century and was rebuilt several times. The facade retains its fifteenth-century appearance, while the entrance portal dates back to the early sixteenth century and the central rose window was replaced in the following century by a window. Inside the two-pointed arches, on the left, the remains of the Maggi tomb, while the marble one on the right housed a tomb of the Paitone family. For many centuries the Church, under the guidance of the Lateran canons sponsored by the archbishop of Milan, was considered a “free zone” and exempt from the city regulations of Brescia. The interior has a plan with three naves, marked by pillars surmounted by capitals with floral motifs. The internal structure dates back to the first half of the 15th century; at the beginning of the sixteenth century the Chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento was added and was subsequently restored in Baroque style in the second half of the seventeenth century.
In 1521 the Canons of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Brescia commissioned Romanino and Moretto to decorate the Chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento, depicting episodes from the Old and New Testaments. Romanino worked on the left side of the chapel proposing themes taken from the New Testament, namely: the Resurrection of Lazarus, the Supper in the House of Simon Pharisee, the Mass of San Gregorio, the Evangelists Matthew and John and some prophets. Other works by Romanino are found in the left aisle with the Sacred Conversation representing the Virgin with her son and Saints Martha, Onofrio, Antonio and Rocco. In the baptistery, there is the Marriage of the Virgin.

Info and opening hours
- Contrada san Giovanni, 12, Brescia
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Tuesday - Sunday 8.30 - 12.00 | 15.30 - 17.30
Free admission