Already in the 1920s, Father Agostino Gemelli conceived the university as a place enriched by the presence of artworks
It is a kind of NeverEnding Story, a construction site that can never truly reach a definitive completion, animated by a tension and a calling towards a perpetual becoming, the portion of Milan where the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore was opened on December 7, 1921. Director Mario Gatti tells us: If we look back in time, we find the ancient Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, with the relics of the city's patron saint, churches and monasteries, like the Church of San Francesco Grande and the Napoleonic Barracks built upon its ruins. The architect Giovanni Muzio - to whom Father Agostino Gemelli entrusted the project for the new university to be built on the ancient Cistercian Abbey of Sant'Ambrogio, with the restoration of the two magnificent Bramantesque cloisters - had conceived a harmonious triangulation: the lantern of the monument to the Milanese fallen, the main entrance of the new University and the central pediment of the Barracks.
In the Aula Magna, we find Callisto Piazza’s Wedding at Cana from the 16th century
In its first one hundred years of existence, the Università Cattolica has demonstrated a remarkable ability to expand and radiate into the surrounding streets, through new buildings and restoration, conversion and inclusion interventions, shaping the face of that urban fabric and giving life to a sort of "neighborhood" devoted to and marked by the fervor of university life. Now, says Mario Gatti, we have arrived at a significant moment: the opening of a connection with one wing of the Barracks, while awaiting the complete conversion of the entire building to university activities, in a project aimed at creating a true university campus.
From the very beginning - continues Gatti - Father Agostino Gemelli had envisioned the university as a place where the activities of study and work would be enriched by the beauty of artworks, which were already present in the old structure - specifically, the Wedding at Cana triptych by Callisto Piazza (Lodi, 1500-1561), displayed in the refectory of the Monastery of Sant'Ambrogio, now the Aula Magna. This original spirit led Giovanni Muzio, already in the 1930s, to commission sculptural works from Giannino Castiglioni - Christ the King, The Immaculate and Pope Pius XI - and Giacomo Manzù - The Immaculate Conception in the atrium leading to the Aula Magna and, in the main chapel, four sculptures, the golden copper door of the tabernacle, and various allegorical reliefs.
In the atrium stands The Immaculate conception by Giacomo Manzù
Of Manzù's work - continues Gatti - the University has consistently shown particular attention, hosting his sculptures on loan for extended periods, thanks especially to collaboration with the Copernico Studio of Nicola Loi. We also encounter other significant sculptures within the University: Cardinal Ildefonso Schuster by Francesco Messina; Pope Paul VI by Floriano Bodini; Saint Ambrose by Mimmo Paladino, commissioned by Rector Franco Anelli on the occasion of the University's centenary. One must not forget the presence of 19th-century Italian paintings and sculptures and the acquisitions of works by major artists as part of the exhibitions “Art and Spirituality Itineraries”. Father Gemelli's original vision continues to mark the new spaces: artworks will not be absent, which - as Mario Gatti emphasizes - are not merely seen as choices for enriching the University's heritage or for the museumization of the Institution, but as aids in achieving the University's very goals and in understanding the aspirations and struggles of our time.
We encounter other works by important 20th-century artists such as Francesco Messina, Mimmo Paladino, and Floriano Bodini
