Vigevano Cathedral

The only architectural work known to be done by Caramuel, his design displays virtuosity, an eclectic sense, and an interesting geometrical relationship to the square which is cleverly adjusted to bring the ancient cathedral into a line perpendicular to and centered on the axis of the piazza.

Made in the first half of the 17th century by a local painter, probably Bernardo Ferrari himself, shows a happy narrative taste and a color that recall Gaudenzian influences.

It is attributed to the Piedmontese Renaissance painter Macrino d'Alba; although it does not present the chromatic liveliness of the polyptych of the Certosa di Pavia, it shows a certain analogy with this one.

[4] The panel with the Crucifixion and saints is one of the few works dated and signed at the bottom right "CAESAR MAGNUM FACIEBAT AN 1531" by the painter Cesare Magni, follower of Leonardo.

On the left the Virgin in a bright red robe and blue mantle, while Saint Ambrose in pontifical vestments presents the Bishop Galeazzo Pietra in an arabesque cope.

[5] An interesting painting from the 16th century in Lombardy is the Redeemer on the Globe with the Madonna and Saint John the Baptist, attributed to Bernardino Gatti (ca.

The nineteenth-century painter Francesco Gonin chose light colors and gilding for the frescoes on the vault, which depict the life of St. Ambrose, to whom the cathedral is dedicated.