The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie is located in Bergamo on Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII, near the propylaea.
Arriving from the train station, it is the first place of worship one encounters in the city.
The building is sacred and rich in history: it was founded in 1422 by St. Bernardine as a Franciscan convent.
In the mid-19th century, due to the urban redevelopment of the city that included the construction of a large avenue connecting the station to St. Augustine’s Gate, the church was torn down and then rebuilt in a location slightly shifted from its previous location.
The current layout of the Greek-cross church in the Neoclassical style is due to architect Antonio Preda, who succeeded in creating an important building that fit well into the new architectural situation of the city, thus making the monumental complex of the Graces the heart of the city.
However, of the ancient complex, the cloister and many of the works of art are still preserved, such as, for example, the miraculous fresco of Saint Jesus on the wooden altar by Caterina Caniana (1761), “Madonna and Saints” by Giambettino Cignaroli (1752), “Madonna and San Diego” by Enea Salmeggia (1594) and many other frescoes.
The pictorial decoration of the church, culminating in the Glory of Mary (1865-68) painted in the dome, is the work of Enrico Scuri, director of the School of Painting of the Carrara Academy.