The Ospedale Maggiore, or Ca' Granda

The '''Ospedale Maggiore''', traditionally named '''Ca' Granda''' (i.e. Big House), is a building in the center of Milan constructed to house one of the first community hospitals, the largest such undertaking of the fifteenth century. Commissioned by Francesco Sforza with his wife Bianca Maria Visconti in 1456 and designed by Antonio Filarete it is among the first examples of Renaissance architecture in Lombardy.

Ca%27%20Granda%201%2C%20Milan%2C%20Italy.JPG
Ca%27%20Granda%203%2C%20Milan%2C%20Italy.JPG
Cortile%20Crociera%201%2C%20Ca%27%20Granda%2C%20Milan%2C%20Italy.JPG
  • Photos by Luca Borghi ti.supmacinu|ihgrob.l#| (May 2008)

Even if the old buildings of the Ospedale Maggiore host today the State University of Milan, you can still find in it – apart from the beautiful original architecture - some of the “relics” of its glorious medical and sanitary history1.


Bibliography

- AA.VV., La Ca' Granda. Cinque secoli di storia e d'arte dell'Ospedale Maggiore di Milano, Electa, Milano 1981

- Giorgio Cosmacini, Biografia della Ca' Granda (Uomini e idee dell'Ospedale Maggiore di Milano), Laterza, Bari 2001



Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License