Cappella di Villa Suardi

This wonderfully painted chapel was born from the fulfilment of a vow: the patron, the noble and powerful Battista Suardi, in a period marked by the Protestant Reformation and the raids of mercenary soldiers, wanted to demonstrate his loyalty to the Church of Rome through it.
Located within the Suardi family villa complex in Trescore Balneario, right at the entrance of the Val Cavallina, the building has a rectangular plan and is rustic, with exposed wooden beams.

The genesis of the interior fresco decoration dates back to 1523, when Suardi commissioned the Venetian master Lorenzo Lotto. If you consider that the ultimate aim of the fresco cycle is to celebrate Christ's victory over evil, you will grasp the meaning of this extraordinary artist's work.
Figures of common people crowd the walls, embraced and protected by vine branches that wind across the ceiling. On the main walls, you will see the stories of St. Barbara and St. Brigid of Ireland unfold, while at the back, the lives of St. Catherine, martyr of Alexandria, and Mary Magdalene’s redemption are depicted.

In the 18th century, a covered passage was built to connect the Oratory to the villa, along with a bell tower and a small Sacristy. At the entrance of the chapel, you’ll encounter the artist’s signature: a self-portrait of Lorenzo Lotto himself, dressed as a hunter, welcoming visitors with a feathered assistant used to lure birds into traps: an owl.

Saint Barbara was a Roman noblewoman who had secretly converted herself to the Christian faith: in just one sequence, Lotto describes her escape from the father, who wanted to force her to get married, then the trial and the martyrdom. On the other side, the artist depicts Saint Brigida’s vocation and her miracles, using single isolated frames. 

Try to spot the Gospel sentence “Ego sum Vitis, Vos Palmites” (“I am the Vine, you are the Branches”) painted above the imposing figure of the Christ-Vine, in the middle of the Chapel’s northern wall, over the history of Saint Barbara. Christ is portrayed as a miracle Vine: branches grow from Him, intertwining with the medallions depicting the Saints.

This decoration represents the opposition to those heretics who try to harvest the grapes of Christ, which is the Church, and the exaltation of the good deeds carried out by the two Saints.
Lotto’s frescoes follow a realistic narration, using cold shades: you will admire a pure and clean light, almost transparent, enlightening the paintings. Looking up, you will also observe a fake arbour on the ceiling, with a bright blue background obtained by using some actual wood beams.