Santa Maria Degli Angioli

Santa Maria degli Angioli stands on the lakefront in Lugano, facing a small square named after the painter Bernardino Luini, immediately beside the modern cultural centre LAC. From outside it looks plain, a church of simple lines and a quiet façade, and many people pass without a second look. Inside is one of the most important Renaissance works in Switzerland, which is why it is a standard stop for anyone interested in art.

The church was built in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries for the Franciscan friars, who had a convent here, and it remained in religious use until the convent was closed in the nineteenth century. The building has a single nave, and a large screen wall separates the nave from the choir. That screen is the support for the work that gives the church its fame: a monumental fresco of the Passion and Crucifixion of Christ, painted by Bernardino Luini and dated to 1529. It covers the whole wall and shows many scenes at once, from the crucifixion at the centre to the figures around it, including soldiers, mourners and onlookers, all rendered with attention to faces, clothing and landscape. Luini was a Lombard painter working in the style that followed Leonardo da Vinci, and his soft modelling and warm colours reflect that influence.

The fresco is crowded and detailed, so the best way to look at it is slowly, from left to right, picking out individual episodes. The faces are expressive, and the lines of the composition lead the eye to the central cross. On the left-hand wall of the nave there is a second large work by Luini showing the Last Supper, and the first side altar has a smaller fresco of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child. Together these paintings give a rare chance in Switzerland to see Renaissance fresco painting at this scale, in the context for which it was made.

The setting adds to the visit. The church is a short walk from Piazza della Riforma and the lakeshore, and the LAC next door hosts exhibitions, concerts and performances, so the church and the arts centre together offer a mix of historic and contemporary culture. The lakeside promenade is a few steps away.

The church is a place of worship as well as a monument, so visitors should dress modestly and keep voices low. Opening hours can vary, and the church is sometimes closed for services or maintenance, so check locally before you plan the visit. Entry to the church is usually free, though donations are welcome. It suits art lovers, history readers and anyone looking for a calm pause in the middle of the city. A visit of twenty to thirty minutes is enough to see the main frescoes, and longer if you want to study the details.