Exterior view

In 1607, Ricchino designed his first independent building, the church of San Giuseppe, which was at once a masterpiece of the first rank. It was finished in 1616, the fa�ade, however, was not completed until 1630.

The plan consists of an extremely simple combination of two Greek-cross units. The large congregational space is a Greek-cross with dwarfed arms and beveled pillars which open into ‘coretti’ (galleries resembling theatre-boxes in the choir) above niches and are framed with three-quarter columns; four high arches carry the ring above which the dome rises. The small square sanctuary has low chapels instead of cross arms. Not only does the same composite order unify the two spaces, but also the high arch between them seems to belong to the congregational room as well as to the sanctuary.

This type of plan, the seventeenth-century version of a long native tradition, contained infinite possibilities. The new fusion of simple centralized units with all its consequences of spatial enrichment and scenic effects was constantly repeated and, mainly in Northern Italy, revised and further developed.

The fa�ade was not completed until 1629-30, although it was probably designed at a much earlier date. Ricchino attempted to give the fa�ade a unity hitherto unknown and at the same time to coordinate it with the entire structure of the church. Until then, the Italian church fa�ade was an external embellishment, designed for the view from the street and rather independent of the structure lying behind it.

The photo shows the fa�ade of the church.

View the section and ground planof San Giuseppe, Milan.