From the church of St. Mary Magdalene

The Auditorium Santa Maria Maddalena, also known as the Ex-Church of the Friars, has been established in the deconsecrated church of Santa Maria Maddalena located next to the cemetery of Isola della Scala.

The church was part of the convent of the Minor Friars and was built in 1511 on the ruins of an ancient hospital dedicated to Mary Magdalene, which was apparently maintained by the Knights Templar. During the Napoleonic era, the convent was suppressed in 1806 and the site was chosen in 1812 for the city cemetery. In 1825, the church was reopened for worship and dedicated to Saint Anthony, during which time the side aisles were removed due to their deterioration. In 1946, the cloister was also demolished to create a monumental access to the cemetery, the southern side of which has been transformed into a private residence.

The façade of the church, originally with three naves and a gabled façade, features an arched marble portal which contains a fragment of fresco depicting Mary Magdalene, attributed to Domenico Morone, topped by a rose window situated between two large windows that are now bricked up. The attic is decorated with pseudo-rampant arches and a jagged eave. Inside, remnants of frescoes remain along with a beautiful frieze in the attic with acanthus branches that host portraits of Franciscan saints and Mary Magdalene. The Triumph Arch, decorated to resemble marble, divides the scene of the Annunciation of which only the underdrawing remains. In the deep apse, enlarged in 1648, there are scenes of Saint John of Capistrano, 17th-century frescoes attributable to a Muttoni, unfortunately altered due to the oxidation of the lead white used by the anonymous painter.

With the loss of the side aisles, the sides of the church have been closed with shallow chapels, while the chapel of Saint Anthony, built in 1653, remains and today houses the Archaeological Museum of Isola della Scala.