"Chiesa di San Giovanni: Look up! Correggio's dome" Top 5 Page for this destination Parma Things to Do Tip by Bunsch

There is a lot to look at when you visit this abbey church, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist around the tenth century before it was destroyed by fire; the version you'll see was constructed between 1490 and 1519. In the central nave, the arches and cross-vaults feature frescoes by Michelangelo Anselmi. Corregio has not only handled the 1520 masterpiece of the dome, but also a number of other frescoes in the church; unfortunately, his fresco showing the Coronation of the Virgin with St. John the Evangelist, St. Benedict, and St. John the Baptist was destroyed when the apse was extended towards the end of the sixteenth century. (Talk about a bad remodeling job!)

The dome absolutely fascinated me. Guidebooks claim that Corregio's dome at the Cathedral, which he began about six years later, is better; certainly it has more characters. But to my untrained eye, this "Transit of St. John" is more interesting. There is Christ, descending with outstretched hand -- a bit like God at the Sistine Chapel -- to bring his worthy disciple into Heaven. The technique of ascending movement, so called, is riveting.

While you're there, don't forget to see the little library of illuminated manuscripts from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. See how large some of the print is -- it had to be, so that many could read the words in the dim candle-light.

Address: Piazzale San Giovanni 1, Parma
Directions: Behind the Cathedral, literally and historically