Un monumento pubblico "sui generis" e un progetto inedito mai realizzato. San Giovanni in Conca a Milano

The present essay seeks to bring to light an unpublished and unrealized project: the commission entrusted by the Municipality of Milan to the BBPR architects for the reconstruction of the medieval church crypt of San Giovanni in Conca within the Castello Sforzesco. Conceived in the immediate post-war period, the initiative falls within a phase of intense urban transformation in the city and prompts reflection on the delicate equilibrium between urban development, the safeguarding of historical heritage, and the authenticity of architectural works. The church of San Giovanni in Conca, possibly of early medieval origin, underwent numerous alterations over the centuries: Romanesque and Gothic reconstructions, Baroque restorations, and substantial nineteenth-century modifications, culminating in its near-total demolition in the aftermath of the Second World War to accommodate new urban plans. Even the Romanesque crypt, already designated as a protected monument in 1911, was threatened with disappearance. It was in this context that the idea emerged to relocate it to the Castello Sforzesco, where the BBPR architects were already engaged in the restoration and adaptation of the castle spaces to serve as the seat of the municipal museums. The proposal, advanced by the acting Director of the Museums, Costantino Baroni, aimed to ensure the preservation of the crypt while rendering it more accessible to the public. Drawings dating from 1948 illustrate a hypothetical reconstruction situated beneath the ducal courtyard, conceived to evoke the atmosphere of the original setting, albeit with inevitable compromises in terms of material authenticity. The crypt and the apse of the church were ultimately spared from demolition thanks to the intervention of the Superintendency for Lombardy Monuments, directed by Guglielmo Pacchioni, and the project for the relocation of the crypt fortunately remained unexecuted.