On October 1, the Monza Cathedral Foundation was presented to the community. This philanthropic fund was established on February 26, 2025, within the Monza and Brianza Community Foundation with the goal of supporting the restoration, maintenance, and enhancement of the Basilica of St. John the Baptist and its historical and artistic heritage. During the meeting, the new project promoted by the Foundation was also presented; it will involve ensuring the structural safety of the Cathedral’s roof and restoring the 14th- and 15th-century frescoes preserved in the building’s attic.
The project represents the fund’s second initiative following the first, recently completed, dedicated to the cleaning and routine maintenance of the Quadroni cycle in the central nave. The ten large Baroque canvases, which depict the Lombard origins of the Basilica of St. John the Baptist, episodes from the life of Queen Theodolinda, and the history of the Iron Crown, underwent a scheduled cleaning and maintenance process aimed at ensuring their preservation.
The work on the Quadroni was also presented through the photographic exhibition *Guardare e Leggere: Precious Details from the Quadroni of the Cathedral*, inaugurated on September 30 by the Museum and Treasury of Monza Cathedral, Gaiani Foundation. The initiative was launched with the aim of bringing renewed attention to the details of the paintings that adorn the central nave and documenting the work carried out for their conservation. The presentation was also attended by the restoration studio that oversaw the cleaning of the canvases and the scheduled maintenance work supported by the Foundation for the Monza Cathedral.
The new project, however, focuses on the structure and decorated surfaces of the attic. The work primarily involves the consolidation and structural reinforcement of the cathedral’s roof. In addition, the project includes the restoration of frescoes dating from the 14th and 15th centuries, preserved in the attic and considered a testament to the earliest phase of the building’s history. The paintings are currently located in an area not accessible to the public; for this very reason, the project also includes a subsequent initiative to showcase them. Upon completion of the work, the frescoes will be presented to the public for the first time within the Cathedral Museum and Treasury, through iconographic displays and technological devices designed to illustrate their history and significance.
The two main areas of the project were outlined during the meeting by Mauro Mariani of BBM Studio Associato, who presented the project for the consolidation of the roof, and by conservator Anna Lucchini, who spoke about the fresco restoration project. The meeting was moderated by Federica Fenaroli of the Monza and Brianza Community Foundation. Following this, Rita Capurro, director of the Museum and Treasury of the Monza Cathedral, presented the photographic exhibition dedicated to the Quadroni family.
The presentation of these two initiatives is part of the collaboration between the Foundation for the Monza Cathedral and the Gaiani Foundation, whose objectives include the support, conservation, promotion, enhancement, and management of the cultural heritage of the Museum and Treasury of the Monza Cathedral. The former is responsible for the protection and maintenance of the Basilica of St. John and its historical and artistic heritage; the latter, on the other hand, operates specifically within the scope of the Museum and Treasury. The collaboration thus aims to coordinate resources, expertise, and projects dedicated to the conservation of the cathedral’s heritage.
The initiative launched by the Foundation for the Monza Cathedral is therefore unfolding through a series of successive projects, beginning with the maintenance of the “Quadroni” and extending to the project dedicated to the roof and the frescoes in the attic. The proposed model calls for the involvement of institutions, citizens, and private supporters in the care of the Basilica of St. John the Baptist and its heritage.
“The Cathedral is the visible symbol of a shared history, of a community that over the centuries has been able to build and preserve a treasure for the common good,” stated Giuseppe Fontana, founder of the Monza Cathedral Foundation and President of the Monza and Brianza Community Foundation. “The Monza Cathedral Foundation was founded on the belief that this responsibility does not fall solely on institutions, but on anyone who chooses to be a part of it. Following the restoration of the Quadroni paintings, we are now looking toward an even more challenging project: securing the cathedral’s roof and bringing to light frescoes that have been inaccessible for centuries. This is a concrete demonstration of what community philanthropy means: bringing together diverse resources, skills, and sensibilities to protect a treasure that belongs to all of us, and doing so continuously, one project at a time.”
“For centuries, the Cathedral has been an expression of a people’s faith and a symbol of this city’s history,” added Monsignor Marino Mosconi, Archpriest of the Cathedral of Monza—Basilica of St. John the Baptist. “Preserving it today means embracing a legacy that so many institutions, over time, have been able to pass down and responding with selfless generosity to a responsibility that concerns us all: citizens, the faithful, and businesses. Restoring the roof and bringing the frescoes in the attic back to light is an act that combines physical care with spiritual value, so that those who look upon the Cathedral may continue to glimpse, beyond its beauty, the sign of something that endures beyond time.”
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| Monza Cathedral: Work Begins on the Project to Secure the Roof and Restore the Frescoes |
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