The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio

In front of you is the church the Milanese feel is most truly theirs. It is not the cathedral, but its saint, Ambrose, is the city's patron, and his feast day, 7 December, still shapes the Milanese calendar.

1A bishop against the emperor

Ambrose was a Roman governor when, in 374, the people chose him as bishop even though he had not yet been baptised. He had this basilica built between 379 and 386, outside the walls, in an area of martyrs' graves, which is why it was first called the Basilica Martyrum. Here he placed the remains of Saints Gervasius and Protasius, and here he himself was buried in 397. His remains still lie in the crypt.

2A church built in layers

What you see is mostly the Romanesque rebuilding of the late 11th century, which made Sant'Ambrogio the model of Lombard Romanesque. Look at the two bell towers: the one on the right, the monks' tower, dates from the 9th century; the one on the left, the canons' tower, was completed in the 12th century. Monks and canons shared the basilica for centuries, and not always peacefully.

Two communities, two towers and one church: the rivalry is written in stone.

In 1943, bombing badly damaged the atrium, which was restored after the war.

3What to look for

• The arcaded atrium, where worshippers gathered before going in.
• The two bell towers, different in height and age.
• The upper loggia of the façade, from which the bishop could address the crowd.