The Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio, the splendid treasure of Milan

To every patron saint, his basilica

With this guided tour we will explore St. Ambroeus, the patron saint of the city of Milan, a great doctor of the Catholic Church, a bishop dear to the Milanese, and his basilica, a historic jewel in the center of Milan. The beauty of this visit lies in the care with which we will investigate every detail of the Basilica of St. Ambrose. Through the life of St. Ambrose, the saint, the man of government, the shepherd of souls, the teacher, the defender of peoples, and the poet, our expert guides will help you discover the hidden wonders in the Basilica dedicated to him.

The life of St. Ambrose as told by the Basilica

Aurelius Ambrose bishop of Milan was an enigmatic figure with great practical charisma. Thanks to his incorruptible faith and a liturgy focused on social issues, he reformed and shaped not only the faith of a city, Milan, that still felt itself to be an Ambrosian diocese to which it belonged, but also the Catholic faith as a whole in its liturgical complex. Anecdotes and legends, not always true, have sprung up around his life that have fed his cult. In this visit to the Basilica of St. Ambrose, we will discover with our guides the particular places where some of these episodes supposedly took place.
Historical truth, however, is that it was St. Ambrose himself , after personally finding the bodies of Saints Gervasius and Protasius, who wanted the construction of the Basilica in which he was later buried and which was later dedicated to him.

The precious wonders of St. Ambrose

Considered the second symbol of Milan after the Duomo, the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio is one of the finest examples of Lombard Romanesque architecture. Inside the complex, we will hunt for the most unusual capitals and splendid treasures of the Basilica, such as the magnificent golden altar of Vuolvinio, a masterpiece of early medieval goldsmithing, the colorful apsidal mosaic and the centuries-old crypt!