One day in Milan (continued)
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Merchant's Square(Piazza Mercanti)
They say that if you want to swear eternal love to someone, you must come here, to one of the oldest squares in Milan. It is here, under the arches of the Palazzo della Ragione, that your recognition will make a lasting impression thanks to the acoustic effect that appears only at a certain point in the square. I will say right away that we were not able to verify the promised effect due to the large number of tourists like us, and swearing eternal love to each other was somehow not comme il faut (four young employees)... : )
Piazza dei Mercanti is a small square surrounded on all sides by palaces. It appeared in the 13th century and for many years was the center of urban public and commercial life. Until the end of the 19th century, the most noisy and cheerful Milanese fairs were held here. Here, under its porticos, merchants, money changers and notaries met, here, from a balcony decorated with a coat of arms, ducal decrees were read out, here heretics were burned. . . Some were hung on a rope, right from the city hall window. . . For edification. . .
Balcony where decrees and resolutions were announced
In the Palazzo della Ragione (Palazzo della Ragione), it is also called the New Town Hall (Broletto Nuovo) - the Palace of Justice - the city authorities were located and the fate of the city was decided. On the capital of the palace you can see a bas-relief depicting a half-haired wild boar - the myth of the founding of the city (mediolanum) is associated with it.
At the direction of the oracle, the leader of the Celts, Belloveso, founded Milan on the site where a wild pig was found, "half-haired" (medio - half and lanae - wool) .
Palazzo della Ragione (Palace of Justice) (photo from the Internet)
Next, in the Gothic style, the House of Panigarola (Casa Panigarola or Palazzo dei Notai) of the 15th century. Until 1741, the family of the notary Panigarola from the city of Garalla owned the building, and his notary office was also located here. On the wall from 1448, a plaque with an inscription in Latin with a saying of the lawyer Tommaso da Caponago, in which he recommends fellow citizens to avoid confrontation with the law, has been preserved. : )
left - Palazzo delle Scuole Palatine, right - Casa Panigarola (House of Panigarola)
Opposite the Palace of Legal Counsels - the Palazzo dei Giureconsulti and the 13th-century tower Torre del Comune. In the 17th century, the Collegio dei Nobili Dottori was located here, i. e. The College of Noble Doctors is an educational institution for future politicians and lawyers. The tower was also used as a bell tower to report on important city events. On the facade of the tower is a statue of St. Ambrose blessing the people.
Piazza Mercanti, Palace of the Lawyers with Torre del Comune
The decoration of the square is the baroque palace Scuole Palatine (Palazzo delle Scuole Palatine). Its facade is decorated with many sculptures, one of them is St. Augustine, who taught in Milan. The Loggia degli Osii (Loggia degli Osii) adjoins the palace with the coats of arms of the Milanese quarters and the famous parlera balcony (parlera), from where decrees and decrees were announced.
Palazzo delle Scuole Palatine
Loggia degli Osii
Loggia degli Osii
In the center of Piazza Mercanti, a well of the 16th century has been preserved, which was called the "stone of bankers" - previously there was a shameful stone (pietra dei falliti), debtors were forcibly seated on it as a punishment, so that the people would know all the deceivers by sight. Over the years, this tradition has faded into oblivion. : ))
Let's leave Piazza Mercanti onto Via Orefici, straight to the facade of a beautiful Art Nouveau building.
And turning onto Via Torino, we move towards the Canals (Navigli). Our goal is the Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore.
Via Torino is one of the oldest streets in Milan with an ancient shopping tradition. In past centuries, the largest craft workshops and shops were located on it, the memory of which is preserved in the names of neighboring streets: Via Orefici (Jewelers Street), Via Spadari (Armorers Street), Via Speronari (Spornikov Street). And now this street is full of outlets - there are shops of inexpensive Italian and foreign brands: Promod, ZARA, OVS, GEOX, Mango, Desigual, Terranova, Alcott, Tally Weijl, CAPRISA, Calzedonia, KIKO, etc. So if it's too expensive for you shopping in haute couture boutiques on Montenapoleone (Via Montenapoleone) or even on Buenos Aires (Corso Buenos Aires), you are here.
Walking along Via Torino, on the right we notice a round building Temple of San Sebastiano(Civico Tempio di San Sebastiano). This temple was built by order of the same Saint Charles Borromeo in memory of the victims of the plague of 1576 (Saint Sebastian was considered a protector from pestilence). Unfortunately, the temple was closed.
Temple of San Sebastiano (Civico Tempio di San Sebastiano). Photos taken from various websites.
Via Torino (Via Torino, 17) is worth seeing The Basilica of Santa Maria presso San Satiro(Santa Maria presso San Satiro), a pearl of the Renaissance - it is small, located in the back of the courtyard . The basilica is interesting in that, small from the outside, inside it visually increases in space thanks to the perspective effect created by Bramante.
There is a legend associated with the fresco on the main altar (Madonna and Child) - According to medieval legend, after being stabbed by an unfortunate player, real blood suddenly flowed from the fresco. They say that this miracle is documented in the archives of the cathedral, and the weapon is still kept in a special vault.
Almost opposite the Basilica of San Satiro, on the opposite side of Via Torino, in the depths of the quarter is the famous Ambrosian Pinacoteca (Pinacoteca Ambrosiana) - no less famous museum than the Brera Pinacoteca. It was founded in 1618 by Archbishop Federico Borromeo, who collected a magnificent collection of paintings and sculptures of the 15th-16th centuries, in particular, the works of Leonardo, Raphael and Caravaggio.
And we are in a hurry to Church of San Lorenzo Maggiore (San Lorenzo Maggiore).
Milan. Church of San Lorenzo Maggiore
The temple was built at the end of the 4th century. - the beginning of the 5th century. outside the city walls, on the road leading to the city of Titium (the Latin name for the city of Pavia). Once the square in front of the basilica was surrounded by a covered gallery. The entrance to this square led through the colonnade overlooking the street. Now, 16 ancient Roman Corinthian columns separate the basilica from the busy Corso di Porta Ticinese street with tram lines. They still remember the ancient name of the city "Medialanum" and the emperor Constantine. It was here in 313 that he declared freedom to Christianity and made it the religion of the empire. In memory of this, a bronze copy of the statue of Emperor Constantine was installed in front of the basilica.
Milan. Ancient Roman columns near the church of San Lorenzo Maggiore (photo from the Internet)
The second largest church in Milan bears the name of the Christian great martyr St. Lawrence. It is believed that initially the inner walls of the basilica were half covered with marble, and above - with frescoes depicting saints and their deeds. Some frescoes have survived to this day. Behind the main altar in the chapel of St. Hippolytus lie the relics of St. Lawrence and St. Hippolytus.
Milan. Church of San Lorenzo Maggiore
Milan. Church of San Lorenzo Maggiore
The Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore was repeatedly burned and rebuilt, its dome collapsed in 1573, but even today the temple retains the plan of the original building. Therefore, the church is considered a significant monument of Milanese architecture of the Romanesque and ancient Christian periods, and one of the most respected places of worship in Milan. The main wealth of the basilica is the Cappella Sant'Aquilino with a unique late antique mosaic depicting Jesus Christ surrounded by apostles. The body of Saint Aquilino himself is buried in a sarcophagus in the apse of the chapel.
Sant'Aquilino Chapel with the tomb of St. Aquilino
On the reverse side of the Church of San Lorenzo is Piazza Vetra. In the old days, the most popular performances in the city were given on this square: witches and sorcerers were executed here. On the lawn, where the convicts breathed their last, there is a statue of St. Lazarus.
Next, through deserted streets we go to the most ancient shrine of the city of Mediolanum - Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio. Among all the churches of Milan, the Basilica of St. Ambrose is the second after the Duomo in its spiritual significance. This is due to the personality of Ambrose himself and his role in the history of both early Christianity and Milan itself of that time.
In 379, at the burial place of the early Christian martyrs Gervasius and Protasius, Bishop Ambrose founded a church called Basilica Martyrum (Basilica of the Martyrs). Almost 20 years later, in 397, the bishop himself was buried in this church. After the glorification and canonization of Ambrose of Milan, according to his will, the relics were placed between Gervasius and Protasius, and the temple was named after him. The holy bishop is the patron of the city, and is revered not only by Catholics, but also by Orthodox.
Like most churches in Milan, over the following centuries, the basilica was repeatedly completed and restored. In 789 a Cistercian monastery was added to it. In the ninth century On the right, the Monastic Bell Tower (Torre dei Monaci) appeared, and two centuries later, on the left, the tower of the Canons (Torre dei Canonici) was erected. The appearance of two towers was the result of a church split in the basilica between monks and canons (priests of the Catholic Church who did not take a monastic vow).
Milan. Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio
Entering through the central gate of the basilica, we found ourselves in a small courtyard - the atrium. The simple classical facade of the church set the mood for ascetic interior decoration. But what we saw impressed us with its splendor so much that we went around the church several times, endlessly examining and photographing each element.
One of the most valuable treasures of the basilica is the Golden Altar (Altare d'oro) with a monstrance (c. 835), a masterpiece of Carolingian goldsmithing. It is covered with gold and silver sheets and inlaid with precious stones and enamels.
Milan. Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio
Stunning mosaic of the ceiling part of the apse (XIII century).
Luxurious, carved from a stone block, the sarcophagus of the Roman commander Stilicho (IV century).
The doors ordered by Ambrose himself have survived to this day.
On the territory of the basilica is the chapel of San Vittore in Ciel d'Oro, famous for its golden mosaics of the 5th century. The entrance to it is to the right of the altar. The entrance to the chapel is paid, 2 euros. An Italian grandfather was sitting at the entrance, who with obvious pleasure showed where to go, what to look for, and was just ready to chat. Too bad none of us understood Italian. : ( The chapel itself was magnificent - a unique mosaic dome, luxurious paintings on the walls and vaults, a treasury with Christian relics, openwork lattices - everything was so delightful that I didn’t want to leave. But I had to. The day was coming to an end, and the remaining planned monuments there was not much time left for Italian history.
The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio. Chapel of San Vittorio
San Vittorio Chapel
The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio. Chapel of San Vittorio
Already at the exit from the basilica, we heard Russian speech and saw a small group of tourists descending somewhere to the left of the altar. Following them quietly, we found ourselves in a crypt, where three skeletons, dressed in rich clothes, were buried in a silver shrine - the relics of Saints Ambrose, Protasius and Gervasius. Unfortunately, having heard that we also speak Russian, the guide quickly stopped telling the story of the "exhibits" and took the group upstairs.
The ancient Cistercian monastery of St. Ambrose (Monastero cistercense di Sant'Ambrogio) was eventually attached to the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), founded in 1921 and designed to popularize Catholicism in the secular society. Nowadays, the university graduates ordinary secular specialists.
Milan. Catholic University of the Sacred Heart
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