Basilica di Santa Maria delle Carceri (Basilica di Santa Maria delle Carceri)
Description:
The Basilica of Our Lady by the prison is located in the center of Prato, on the piazza Santa Maria delle Carceri.
The history of the pearl of Renaissance architecture in Prato, the Basilica of Our Lady by the prison, began with the image of Our Lady with a baby on the wall of a prison building. According to legend, in 1484 a boy saw the fresco come to life. Other miracles were recorded, the image was very revered by believers. Finally, it was decided to build a basilica. Lorenzo de' Medici commissioned the building to his favorite architect, Giuliano da Sangallo.
The basilica, with a Greek cross at the base and spatial solutions in the spirit of Brunelleschi, was built in 1486-95. Work on the exterior cladding of the building was then begun, but it was interrupted in 1506.
The interior of the temple is made in the style of the Renaissance. The stained glass windows were made according to sketches by Domenico Ghirlandaio (1491).