Decoration of the main dome

The decoration was executed by Pordenone and Bernardino Gatti.

Domes, which vault the crossing and altar of countless churches, lend themselves well to being transformed into paintings of the sky. The round shape above our heads seems to open onto a higher world, so that God and the things of heaven become visually present at the church holiest spot.

Astonishing dynamic effects in dome decorations were achieved by Pordenone. In the large ribbed dome of Santa Madonna di Campagna in Piacenza, in 1530-32, Pordenone began to fresco a complex theological program. God the Father floats in the cupola, mysteriously illuminated by invisible windows. Putti, animals, and illusionistic reliefs of Old Testament stories decorate the ribs. In between them heroic sibyls, prophets, and other Old Testament figures are seen against views of the heavens. In 1543 Bernardino Gatti added apostles on the pilasters of the drum below, stories from the life of Mary on the next level, and finally evangelists on the pendentives.