The Coretto (little choir) of Torchiara

The Coretto (little choir) of Torchiara, acquired in Parma in
1894, was originally located in the chapel of San Nicodemo inside the castle of
Torrechiara; it was commissioned by Pier Maria II Rossi, an Italian condottiere
born in Berceto in 1413. The work was part of the furnishings of the
"Golden Chamber", the bedroom of Pier Maria and his lover, Bianca
Pellegrini, for whom between 1448 and 1460 the condottiere had built
Torrechiara Castle, about 18 km from Parma. The Coretto’s structure comprised two walls
set at an angle and it allowed the castle’s noble inhabitants to attend
religious services separately from the rest of the faithful; they were able to enter
through a door that communicated directly with a wall of the chapel. Each wall was decorated with motifs of late
Gothic rose carvings and with the coat-of-arms and emblems of Pier Maria de
'Rossi. We also find the mottos "Digne et in aeternum" and "Nunc
et Semper". The
choir is surmounted by a hexagonal-shaped spire with marquetry decoration
depicting motifs of vases with flowers. In the past it was thought that the choir
was made shortly after the mid-nineteenth century using fifteenth-century
wooden fragments, but recent restoration (2016) has revealed that the structure
is entirely original. Certainly
over the centuries the Coretto has undergone various interventions, mainly due
to its transfer from Torchiara Castle to various other locations (before being
purchased by the Municipality of Milan in 1936, it was part of several private
collections). Since
1911 Torrechiara castle has been considered a national monument protected by
the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities.