Cathedral of Castiglione delle Stiviere

Built in neoclassical style, the work of the Milanese architect Giambattista Groppi, it stands on the site where an ancient medieval church already existed, which became a collegiate church in 1607. For its construction, which began in 1761, materials from the Gonzaga castle destroyed. However, it has great religious and historical importance, and not only for the people of Castiglione. In the Cathedral there are first of all significant testimonies of the life of San Luigi. The current building was in fact erected on the ancient Church of Ss. Nazario e Celso, where Luigi Gonzaga was baptized and received his First Communion. Furthermore, the remains of the castle where San Luigi had spent his early childhood with his family were used for its construction. The church of Ss. Nazario and Celso, on which the Cathedral now stands, appears to have been built at the beginning of the 16th century on a pre-existing Gothic church. In fact, right here, on 20 April 1568, Marta Tana and Ferrante Gonzaga had their firstborn Luigi baptized with a solemn ceremony by the parish priest Giovanni Battista Pastorio. Official documents of Luigi’s birth, which took place at 11.45pm on 9 March 1568, are preserved in the parish archives of the Cathedral.

Again in reference to San Luigi, it should be underlined that his mother Marta Tana is buried inside the Cathedral, at the foot of the presbytery. The church of Ss. Nazario e Celso took on further importance in 1607, when Prince Francesco Gonzaga, thanks to his diplomatic services, obtained the nomination of the church as a collegiate church, with the related privileges for the canons.

The importance of the Cathedral is not only linked to the life of San Luigi. This religious building in fact bears witness to one of the most significant events in the history of the Italian Risorgimento and in the history of international solidarity. On the night of the bloody battle of Solferino (24 June 1859), which saw the Italian/French and Habsburg armies clash, thousands of wounded and corpses taken in bulk from the battlefield were dumped in the streets and squares of Castiglione. On that occasion the Cathedral was transformed into a large rescue center where the people of Castiglione gave great proof of solidarity and active human compassion, regardless of the nationalities of the injured. Leading this crowd of improvised and confused rescuers, the priest Don Lorenzo Barzizza worked tirelessly, throwing open the doors of the Cathedral.