Brera Palace

The Brera Palace, located at via Brera 28 in Milan, is a historic building of extraordinary artistic and cultural relevance. Its construction, started in 1651, is attributed to the architect Francesco Maria Richini, who designed it as a college for the Society of Jesus. This building represents one of the most important examples of Mannerist architecture in the city, characterized by a sober yet imposing aesthetic, with a facade of red bricks reinforced at the corners and rusticated pilasters. The term “Brera” derives from the Lombard “braida”, which indicates a field or land near a settlement, and has roots in medieval Latin. The area where the palace stands was already known in the 12th century as the village in the brera of Guercio, referring to lands owned by a certain Guercio da Baggio. Over time, these lands were acquired by the Umiliati friars, a religious order dedicated to wool processing, who established their mother house and the church of Santa Maria in Brera there. With the suppression of the Umiliati order in 1571, the Brera convent was transferred to the Jesuits, who established an educational institution there. The first designs for the new building were presented by Martino Bassi, but his death in 1591 slowed down the works. In 1615, Francesco Maria Richini was tasked with overseeing the construction, which was prolonged due to epidemics and economic difficulties, until his death, when the task passed to his son Giandomenico and subsequently to Gerolamo Quadrio and Pietro Giorgio Rossone. In the 18th century, with the suppression of the Society of Jesus, the palace was still unfinished. It was the Austrian government, under Maria Theresa of Austria, that completed it between 1778 and 1795, entrusting the task to Giuseppe Piermarini. During this period, the palace was transformed into a center for sciences and arts, hosting various educational and cultural institutions. Among the main institutions housed in the Brera Palace are the Brera Art Gallery, the Braidense National Library, and the Academy of Fine Arts. The Brera Art Gallery, one of Italy’s most important art galleries, was established with artworks confiscated during the Napoleonic spoliations and over time enriched with masterpieces such as Hayez’s “The Kiss” and Raphael’s “The Marriage of the Virgin”. The Braidense National Library was founded through the union of libraries left by the Jesuits and private donations, becoming one of the main centers for bibliographic research in Italy. In the palace’s main courtyard, surrounded by a two-story portico, there are numerous artworks, including the statue of Napoleon Bonaparte as Mars the Peacemaker, a bronze copy of a marble by Antonio Canova. The arches on the ground floor are in Serlian style with Doric columns, while on the first floor they are repeated with Ionic columns, creating an effect of harmonious grandeur. During the Napoleonic era, the palace continued to enrich itself with new institutions, such as the National Institute, transferred to Milan in 1810 and later divided into the Imperial Regio Lombard Institute of Sciences, Letters and Arts and the Venetian Institute. In the first decade of the 19th century, the creation of art galleries became an integral part of the Academy of Fine Arts, although it was only in 1882 that the Brera Art Gallery became an autonomous institution. The two world wars had a significant impact on the palace. During the First World War, the rooms of the art gallery were closed and the paintings temporarily transferred to Rome. The Second World War saw the palace damaged by bombings in 1943, but it was quickly rebuilt and the rooms reopened in 1950.