The convent and church of San Cristoforo were built during the second half of the XVI century by the Olivetani monks on the earlier XIII-XIV century buildings belonging to the Order of the Umiliati. The design was attributed to Pellegrino Tibaldi.
In 1798 the monastery was closed down and used by the French as lodgings for the cavalry and as a military prison, while the church was deconsecrated and used as a storehouse. In 1810 with the establishment of the French riding school in the nearby convent of San Domenico, the church of San Cristoforo became stables and the monastery was used as an army barracks for the whole of the XIX century.
The convent, to the right of the church, is composed of two floors and has a colonnaded courtyard. The granite columns, in an elegant elongated style, rest on a tall plinth and support round arches. The arches are emphasised by slender profiles that are repeated as a string-course element along the perimeter of the portico.
The Convent of San Domenico was founded in the XIII century and was the seat of the order of the Dominicans. What remains of the original structures of the building has survived centuries of functional transformations and neglect, after the Napoleonic dissolution and subsequent use for military purposes which lasted until the Second World War. The building of the convent structures did not follow an organic and conclusive plan but developed according to the donations received over the years. The two cloisters and underground rooms are note-worthy.
The convents of S.Cristoforo and S. Domenico currently house the offices of the Province of Lodi.
The convent and church of San Cristoforo were built during the second half of the XVI century by the Olivetani monks on the earlier XIII-XIV century buildings belonging to the Order of the Umiliati. The design was attributed to Pellegrino Tibaldi.
In 1798 the monastery was closed down and used by the French as lodgings for the cavalry and as a military prison, while the church was deconsecrated and used as a storehouse. In 1810 with the establishment of the French riding school in the nearby convent of San Domenico, the church of San Cristoforo became stables and the monastery was used as an army barracks for the whole of the XIX century.
The convent, to the right of the church, is composed of two floors and has a colonnaded courtyard. The granite columns, in an elegant elongated style, rest on a tall plinth and support round arches. The arches are emphasised by slender profiles that are repeated as a string-course element along the perimeter of the portico.
The Convent of San Domenico was founded in the XIII century and was the seat of the order of the Dominicans. What remains of the original structures of the building has survived centuries of functional transformations and neglect, after the Napoleonic dissolution and subsequent use for military purposes which lasted until the Second World War. The building of the convent structures did not follow an organic and conclusive plan but developed according to the donations received over the years. The two cloisters and underground rooms are note-worthy.
The convents of S.Cristoforo and S. Domenico currently house the offices of the Province of Lodi.
