ST. MARK’S CHURCH

Founded in 1254 by the Augustinian prior Lanfranco Settala, the Parish Church of San Marco stands in what was then outside the medieval walls of Milan, in the neighborhood we now know as Brera. Originally built in Gothic style with three naves and semicircular apses, its structure was modified over the centuries, undergoing Baroque transformations in the 17th century and Neo-Gothic interventions in the 19th, while preserving its sense of solemnity and the visual depth of its vaulted interiors.

The Church of San Marco is not only an architectural gem: it is also a place that has hosted crucial moments in Italian music. On May 22, 1874, it was here that the very first performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Messa da Requiem took place, conducted by the composer himself, in memory of the writer Alessandro Manzoni. The Maestro composed this funeral mass as a response to mourning and as a public act: not only a personal tribute, but also a collective chorus, in which grief, faith, and hope intertwine within the legendary music of the Swan of Busseto.

The very acoustics of San Marco, with its vertical spaces, long naves, and the natural echo between its ancient walls, help make the Requiem an experience that goes beyond listening: the Agnus Dei, the Libera me, the choir and the instruments converse with mystery and with the tangible presence of history. In 2024, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of its first performance, the Orchestra and Choir of Teatro alla Scala return to San Marco under the direction of Riccardo Chailly to celebrate this masterpiece.

Visiting the Parish Church of San Marco means walking among signs of art, devotion, and memory, discovering how Giuseppe Verdi chose that church to show the world the depth of his sorrow through the power of his music.