Basilica Concattedrale di Sant'Andrea

The Basilica of Sant'Andrea stands on Piazza Mantegna in Mantua. Begun in 1472 to Leon Battista Alberti's design, it combines a major Renaissance architectural project with the city's devotion to the Precious Blood of Christ.

Why it matters

The relic known as the Preziosissimo Sangue shaped successive churches on this site. Tradition attributes its arrival in Mantua to the Roman soldier Longinus. The present basilica transformed that devotional focus into a monumental Gonzaga commission.

What to notice

The broad barrel-vaulted nave and imposing facade express Alberti's engagement with ancient architecture. The crypt contains the Sacri Vasi, reliquaries associated with the Precious Blood. Andrea Mantegna's tomb is in the chapel of Saint John the Baptist, with paintings by Mantegna and frescoes by Correggio. Other chapels preserve work by Giulio Romano and Antonio Maria Viani.

Context and history

Marquis Ludovico Gonzaga commissioned the church, with Luca Fancelli directing construction after Alberti's design. Work continued through later centuries. Filippo Juvarra's eighteenth-century dome added a baroque culmination to the Renaissance structure. The relic's association with Longinus remains a religious tradition, distinct from the documented building history.