Cappella Portinari

Painted in the 60s of the XV century, The Portinari Chapel, was commissioned by Pigello Portinari, a Florentine man who had moved to Milan, who was especially devoted to Saint Peter Martyr. Pigello chose the chapel as his burial place, once built in the centre of the floor. In 1468, after Pigello’s death, the chapel served as winter choir and this explains the presence of angels playing music on the drum of the dome.
The Chapel, with a main square-plan space and a small apse, is surmounted by a sixteen-section dome. The influence by Brunellschi is quite obvious and it is aimed at testify the Renaissance style of Tuscan origins, grafted into Lombard culture. 
The rich, sculptural terracotta decoration follows the trabeation, the archivolts and the window frames, which match perfectly with the magnificent frescoes by Vincenzo Foppa, dedicated to the life of Saint Peter Martyr.

Today, the centre of the chapel is occupied by the Ark of Saint Peter Martyr, by Giovanni di Balduccio, originally located in the basilica.