Chiesa e convento di Fra' Cristoforo (San Materno e Lucia)

The church of Santi Materno e Lucia and the former Capuchin convent stand in Pescarenico, Lecco. Manzoni chose this setting for Fra' Cristoforo's convent in I promessi sposi, giving the complex a lasting literary association.

Why it matters

The site combines Capuchin history with important religious art. Its connection with the novel does not replace the buildings' own story, which includes foundation, military occupation and suppression.

What to notice

The church has a simple single nave and gabled ceiling. Cerano's altarpiece depicts Saints Francis and Gregory adoring the Trinity. Nine glass cases contain late-seventeenth-century scenes in coloured wax and papier-mâché associated with Neapolitan culture: seven concern Christ and the Virgin, and two concern Saints Francis and Clare. The former convent preserves parts of its portico, courtyard, well and cells.

Context and history

The convent was founded in 1576 and the church consecrated in 1600. French troops converted the buildings into barracks in 1798; suppression and sale of the convent followed in 1810. An ossuary dated 1699 commemorates Franciscan friars who died of plague.