45°27′35.2″N 9°12′18.7″E / 45.459778°N 9.205194°E
The Rotonda della Besana (also known as Rotonda di Via Besana or Complesso di San Michele ai Nuovi Sepolcri, and originally as Foppone[1] della Ca' Granda)[2] is a late baroque building complex and former cemetery in Milan, Italy, built between 1695 and 1732[3] and located close to the city center. The complex comprises a lobate hectagonal colonnade portico enclosing a garden and the deconsacrated church of San Michele ai Sepolcri ("Saint Michael by the Sepulchers").[2] The portico was designed by architects Francesco Croce and Carlo Raffaello Raffagno, while the church was designed by Attilio Arrigoni.[2] Although originally a cemetery, over time the Rotonda has been adapted for a number of other uses; today, it is a leisure area and a venue for cultural events.
The complex covers an overall area of 7,100 m2 and owes its current name to its location, at number 15 of Via Enrico Besana.[3]
- ^ The Milanese word foppone is an augmentative form of foppa, which means "hole" and also "grave". A foppone is thus a large hole, i.e., originally, a common burial, such as those established after the plague pandemics; the meaning was later generalized to that of "cemetery". See [1] (in Italian).
- ^ a b c (in Italian) La Rotonda della Besana, tempio della morte
- ^ a b (in Italian) Giardino Rotonda della Besana