Old Cathedral of Brescia

The new cathedral was erected between 1604 and 1825 on the site of the early Christian basilica of San Pietro de Dom (5th-6th century). The old cathedral, which was in an advanced state of deterioration, had to be replaced by a new one, more suited to the new architectural requirements dictated by the Counter-Reformation and more in line with the architecture of the time. Three phases of construction can be identified for the new cathedral: the first (1604 to 1611) was directed by the architect Giovanni Battista Lantana, who, seeing his initial project fundamentally revised, eventually left the building site. The second phase (1611 - 1630) was directed by Lorenzo Binago but was halted by the Brescia plague epidemic, which undermined the city for several decades. The third phase (1695 - 1825) is that of Antonio Biasio, who will hand over the task to his son in 1758 and will not be completed until the next century when the dome of the church is finally built.

The church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli was built between 1487 and 1490, its magnificent carved façade was finished a little later in 1500. The walls and vaults of the church are also frescoed and stuccoed by different authors. Most of the murals were destroyed during the Second World War, when the building was severely damaged by bombardments that miraculously did not affect the facade and the precious sculptures of the first dome. In the following years, the sanctuary was rebuilt respecting the original building.

The Basilica of San Salvatore was founded in 753 as the church of the female monastery of San Salvatore and was completed more than eight centuries later, in 1599. Of the original church, only the structure with three naves marked by columns and capitals is preserved. The church is entirely decorated with some of the richest and best-preserved stuccoes and frescoes of the early Middle Ages. The complex is one of the seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites that bear witness to the culture of the Lombard people.