The church was built in 1495 on the orders of marquis Francesco II Gonzaga, Isabella d'Este's husband, who wanted to celebrate that way his victory over French king Charles VII during Fornovo battle. The building was designed by architect Bernardino Ghisolfo.
The Gothic façade gives onto San Simone square; a terracotta frieze runs all along the visible sides of the church. The inner Renaissance decoration reminds of Mantegna's imitation of classical style and Roman marbles. The famous Madonna della Vittoria altar piece by Andrea Mantegna himself – also painted on the orders of marquis Francesco II - was on the wall in front of the entrance, where you can still see some remains of an ancient leather covering.
The canvas depicts a kind of triumph: the Madonna and Child, sitting under an arbour, are blessing marquis Francesco II, surrounded by St. Michael, St. Georges, St. Andrew, St. Longinus, St. Elisabeth and St. John the Baptist. On the throne base there are some scenes from the Genesis: the creation of man, the original sin, and the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. This magnificent tempera on canvas was stolen by French soldiers in 1797 and today is at Louvre museum, in Paris.
In late XVIII century, still French occupying force deconsecrated the church, which became later a warehouse of Italian army: in that situation it was divided in two floors. The upper floor hosts a kindergarten since 1899, while the ground floor was a varnishing laboratory from 1942 to 1986.
In 2001 the Municipality of Mantua entrusted the building to Associazione Amici di Palazzo Te e dei Musei Mantovani for safekeeping.
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