Certosa di Pavia, Carthusian monastery of Pavia

The Carthusian monastery of Pavia is linked to the history of the Visconti and Sforza families. The complex is made up of the church, dedicated to the Madonna of the Graces, the cloisters, the Duke's Palace and the service courtyards. It took more than two centuries to complete the building of the monument, which was started in 1396, with the inevitable overlapping of more styles, e.g. the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles.
The Duke’s Palace was designed and built between 1620 and 1625 by Francesco Maria Richini and was anticipated by a prothyrum, at the side of which a relief decoration reminds of the history of the Carthusian monastery.
The inside of the church, with three aisles with side chapels, is marked by high bundle pillars, on top of which groined vaults decorated with a starry sky were built. The fourteen chapels, which date back to the 15th century and were renovated in the following two centuries, show works by great artists, like Perugino, Foppa, Guercino and Bergognone, who was also the author of the frescoes decorating the conches of the apses in the transept.
The Small Cloister is located at the right-hand side of the church. From here, one can access the Big Cloister through the one-hundred and twenty-three decorated terracotta arches and the monk cells at the sides.