Cappella Colleoni is undoubtedly the most majestic building in Bergamo. Its facade decorated with red and white marble is a masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance; its interiors an incredible concentration of works of art: the equestrian statue of the Bergamasque leader Bartolomeo Colleoni, the sarcophagi entirely inlaid in marble, the delicate tomb of his daughter Medea, the carved woods of the pews. It would take pages and pages just to describe them all; what we can suggest is that you enter the chapel and be enveloped by this fantastic concentration of art!
Curiosities
It is said that touching the heraldic symbol placed on the gate at midnight brings good luck. True or not, it can be a great excuse for a stroll through the picturesque Upper Town at night!
Bergamo and Bartolomeo Colleoni
Bartolomeo Colleoni was among Italy’s most celebrated captains of fortune.
An intrepid soldier, he spent his life waging war around Italy, mainly in the service of the Venetian Republic.
His life is inextricably linked with Bergamo: here he was born, here he returned at the height of his power, and here he wanted to be buried.
The people of Bergamo are very attached to his figure and to the traces he left on the territory: from the numerous castles in the plain, to the dense network of canalization he wanted, to the beautiful chapel in which he rests.
One should not forget how he was a strong, almost brutal man!
About the Chapel it is told how the canons of Santa Maria Maggiore were against granting him the space for its construction.
Bartholomew settled the matter with the diplomacy usual to a mercenary 600 years ago: he sent his soldiers and had the old sacristy of the basilica torn down.
Whether this anecdote is true or not, we are left with the beauty of this impressive architectural work.