Vittoriano
Bosco Marengo, a town in the province of Alessandria, was the birthplace of Antonio Michele Ghislieri, who in 1566 became pope under the name Pio V. Soon after his election, the pontiff decided to give a strong signal of his adherence to the principles of the Counter-Reformation established by the Council of Trent (1563). His initiatives in this direction included the construction and decoration of the monumental complex of Santa Croce and Ognissanti.
The complex consists of the church and the Dominican convent buildings, articulated around two cloisters, which include a library with three naves, the chapter house and a large refectory. The project was initially entrusted to Ignazio Danti of Perugia, who was later joined by Giacomo della Porta. The Roman classical reference model is evident in the entire architectural layout, but especially in the church with a Latin cross plan with the dome at the intersection of the arms.
The Tuscan artist Giorgio Vasari also participated in the construction of the complex. He himself recalls in his autobiography the commission he received from the pope for the Adorazione dei Magi in the fourth chapel and for the “grandissima macchina” conceived for the high altar, in which sculptors Giovanni Gargiolli and Angelo Marini, known as Il Siciliano, also participated.
Of the pictorial decoration still remaining in their original location is the majestic altarpiece depicting the Giudizio Universale made in 1568 by Vasari. For the VIVE's Depositi in Mostra cycle, the wooden relief Cena in casa del Fariseo is displayed in dialogue with the frescoes painted by Giorgio Vasari for Palazzo Altoviti and the bronze bust of the Roman school depicting Pope Pio V.
The complex was completed in the last decade of the 16th century, after the death of Pope Pio V, with less funding, as can be seen from the lesser splendor of the rooms on the upper floor.
The complex, active from 1567 to 1860, was partly used as a reformatory and eventually as a museum.
