headquarter
The beautiful rooms that detain the Archives, were built in 1637, undertaken as part
of the enlargement of the old hospital complex with the legacy Carcano. These two environments,
used to house the meetings of “Chapter” or the hospital board that met in these places until 1796.
The Summer Hall | The Winter Hall |
The main hall, or “Chapter of Summer”, was among the largest rooms used profane present
in Milan in the seventeenth century. The room features a vaulted ceiling divided into lunettes
painted by Paolo Antonio de’ Maestri said “the Volpino” in 1638. The decoration is unique and is
modeled on Marian allegories described in the Old Testament and Litany of Loreto, with a clear
reminder of the dedication of the Ospedale dell’Annunciata. There are four astronomical symbols
and four vegetables image written on the scrolls: sun, moon, rainbow, star – lilies, rose, palm,
cedar, “electa ut sol, pulchra ut luna, signum foederis, stella maris”, e “lilium convallium,
rosa mistica, sicut palma, sicut cedrus”. In 1808, following the union of several
charities in Milan and the consequent incoming of abundant documentation, it required the necessity
to build wooden shelves with two rows of galleries, which still exists today, the development of
which is equal to 985 linear meters.
The smaller room called the “chapter of winter” or “little chapter” is orthogonal to the first
and is more intimate. It is embellished with a hard walnut furniture, sober and elegant, made
between 1767 and 1770 to contain documents. The timber casing also made it an enjoyable environment
during the colder months by offering a more comfortable space for meetings of the Members. Both venues
are anticipated towards the courtyard, today the main cloister of the University, by a monumental stone
vestibule.
The knowledge gained from an extensive campaign-finding and diagnostics for the structure
and environment of Ca’ Granda are disclosed in the illustrated book
Il cuore dell’antico
Ospedale Maggiore di Milano. I luoghi dell’Archivio e la Chiesa della Beata Vergine Annunciata.
Front Court