Overview

The Black Madonna of Cremona

With its simple and elegant façade and richly decorated interior, the Church of Sant'Abbondio is one of Cremona’s most interesting spiritual places. Its history begins in the Middle Ages, when a Romanesque-style building was constructed as an annex to the monastery of the Benedictines. The Humiliates and the Teatini followed.

Today, the church is a single-nave building, entirely covered with frescoes dating to the 16th century. Look up and admire the decoration of the vault, created by Bolognese artist Orazio Samacchini to exalt the virtues of the Virgin. The Rococo-style high altar, whose intricate play of inlays can be admired, is also impressive.

Next to the church, enter the Lauretano Sanctuary, built in the 17th century as an exact copy of the Holy House of Loreto. The shrine houses a statue of the Black Madonna, proclaimed patron saint of Cremona during the plague epidemic.

The old 16th-century monastery is also worth a visit, accessible from the churchyard on the left side of the church. Its loggia with elegant stone and terracotta columns is considered one of the most beautiful in the area.