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The
church
of
viale
Corsica:
the
history
Organized
by
the
Milano
Policroma
Foundation
At
the
end
of
Viale
Corsica,
at
the
intersection
with
Via
Kolbe,
there
is
the
church
dedicated
to
the
Blessed
Virgin
Immaculate
and
Saint
Anthony.
In
these
two
articles
we
will
respectively
trace
the
history
of
the
parish
(and
see
how
it
is
intertwined
with
national
history)
and
the
artistic
profile
of
the
church.
The
beginning
of
the
construction
of
the
building
can
be
traced
back
to
June
1927,
the
month
in
which
Father
Vittore
Chialina,
Minister
of
the
Padua
province
of
the
order
of
Friars
Minor
Conventual,
purchased
a
plot
of
land
in
the
area
corresponding
to
the
current
neighborhood
of
Viale
Corsica
,
which
was
still
under
construction
at
the
time.
According
to
a
project
by
the
architects
Nava
brothers,
a
convent
was
thus
built
which
was
already
able
to
host
the
first
religious
community
in
November
1929;
the
first
Mass
was
celebrated
there
(in
a
room
on
the
ground
floor)
on
17
June
1929.
From
the
beginning,
however,
the
rooms
dedicated
to
worship
appeared
inadequate
to
the
real
needs
of
the
population
of
the
neighborhood
and
for
this
reason
the
"Milanese"
fathers
presented
to
the
provincial
chapter
a
project
for
the
construction
of
a
real
church,
again
signed
by
the
Nava
architects,
which
was
the
Antonian
Sanctuary
in
the
city
of
Milan.
The
chapter
fathers,
however,
expressed
with
regret
the
refusal
to
build
such
an
imposing
work,
given
the
lack
of
the
necessary
funds,
due
to
the
difficult
economic
situation
of
the
entire
nation
(1931.
in
the
midst
of
the
Great
Depression).
Nonetheless,
the
owners
of
the
Castelli
company
took
on
the
responsibility
of
carrying
out
the
work,
not
at
all
discouraged
by
the
payment
methods
that
the
friars
had
proposed
to
them,
and
began
the
foundation
work
on
the
church.
The
laying
of
the
first
stone
was
celebrated
on
11
February
1931:
the
particularly
evocative
ceremony
was
celebrated
by
the
Cardinal
Archbishop
of
Milan
Ildefonso
Schuster.
The
work
started
slowly,
but
in
December
1931
the
donations
obtained
quickly
led
to
the
raising
of
the
entire
perimeter
of
the
foundations
and
in
some
points
of
the
first
walls
of
the
crypt.
In
the
spring
of
1932,
the
covering
slab
of
the
crypt
was
poured,
destined
to
be
the
basis
for
the
floor
of
the
future
upper
church.
The
worsening
of
the
national
economic
situation
caused
the
suspension
of
the
works
and
the
decision
of
the
friars
to
allocate
the
few
offers
received
to
the
first
furnishings
of
the
crypt.
The
lower
church
was
solemnly
blessed
on
the
occasion
of
the
feast
of
Maria
Assunta,
15
August
1932,
the
anniversary
of
the
birth
of
Saint
Anthony.
Then
the
works
were
stopped
for
many
years,
and
only
in
May
1937
was
the
construction
site
reopened;
However,
some
difficulties
soon
arose
following
the
Ethiopian
war,
as
Italy
had
incurred
the
economic
sanctions
launched
by
the
League
of
Nations
and
it
became
almost
impossible
to
obtain
the
ferrous
materials
necessary
to
reinforce
the
core
of
the
structure
of
the
load-bearing
arches.
Despite
this,
in
November
1937
the
masonry
part
of
the
church
was
completed
and
the
side
naves
and
small
apses
were
almost
finished.
In
the
first
months
of
1938,
the
trusses
of
the
first
three
spans
of
the
structure
were
built,
thanks
to
the
new
iron
beams,
thus
also
allowing
the
construction
work
on
the
roof
to
begin.
Then,
with
the
arrival
of
summer,
the
structural
works
and
the
central
body
of
the
church
were
completed.
The
facade
also
gradually
took
on
its
definitive
appearance
and,
in
the
month
of
June,
the
stones
and
marbles
intended
to
embellish
its
architectural
lines
also
arrived.
The
community
of
friars
then
decided
not
to
wait
for
the
official
consecration
but
to
celebrate
the
first
Mass
in
the
new
temple
on
25
September
1938.
The
celebration
took
place
in
a
completely
bare
church
with
the
floor
reduced
to
a
simple
concrete
layer.
A
few
candles,
an
improvised
altar
and
a
crucifix
were
in
fact
the
ones
