Sant'Alessandro in Zebedia is a parish church in Milan, Italy. It is a distinctive example of the early Lombard Baroque.[1]
History
The original church was built in the 5th century, on the ruins of the Pretorium which tradition holds was the prison that held the martyred Sant'Alessandro.[2] The name in Zebedia derives from the name of the prison in which the martyr was imprisoned.[3]
Its construction for the Barnabite order began in 1601 to a design by Lorenzo Binago.[4]Francesco Maria Richini also contributed to the project. The first church of Sant Alessandro was demolished, along with the nearby San Pancrazio. The first stone of the church was laid on 30 March 1602 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo.[3]
It comprises a principal building on the Greek cross plan with a central dome, and a separate presbytery which also has a dome. By early 1627, the center dome had developed deep cracks and was demolished. Architect Fabio Mangone was brought in as a consultant. Richini redesigned the dome, and carried out Mangone's recommendations.[5]
