Capuchin Church

Halfway between via Sinigaglia, next to an ancient three-spout fountain, the steep cobbled road leads up to the small Capuchin church. The construction of the church and the convent, intended to welcome the Capuchins expelled from the Venetian Republic, was carried out between 1606 and 1610 by decision of Francesco Gonzaga. The prince, animated by a profound religious sensitivity, especially after the beatification of his brother Luigi, worked hard to encourage and develop the presence of religious orders in Castiglione, so much so that he personally followed the works of the convent complex, designing some parts of it. In the church, the most beloved of the works he created, he placed the family chapel, which was called the Virgin of the Walnut for a walnut wood statuette of very ancient origin, in which popular tradition had identified the image of a Madonna with child attributing it to the divine hand. The tomb which still contains the remains of Francesco Gonzaga was placed in this chapel, together with those of his wife Bibiana and his children who died at a young age. On the altar are the relics that Francesco Gonzaga collected during the diplomatic assignments carried out on behalf of the emperor, especially at the papal court.