Basilica of San Lorenzo, Milan
| Basilica of St. Lawrence, Milan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Basilica |
| Year consecrated | 370 |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Milan |
| Geographic coordinates | 45°27′30″N 09°10′55″E / 45.45833°N 9.18194°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Basilica |
| Style | Byzantine |
The Basilica of Saint Lawrence (Italian: Chiesa di San Lorenzo Maggiore) is a church in Milan, northern Italy, dedicated to the Christian martyr St. Lawrence.
History
Various suggestions of its origin have been made, including a foundation in c.370.[1], the Basilica of San Lorenzo was renovated and redecorated in the 16th century. It has however maintained the original Byzantine structure[1] , with a dome and four towers resembling those of Constantinople's Hagia Sofia. A recent detailed stratiographic study of the walls identified five phases of construction in antiquity from Theodosius I to the early Lombard period.[2]
Architecture
Interior
The church is a quatrefoil central-plan building, with a double-shell layout, consisting of an open central area (the inner shell) surrounded by an ambulatory (the outer shell). The quatrefoil design is expressed in four exedrae (semicircular recesses) of two stories, with five arches per exedra. As usual for the period, the interior had a matroneum (balcony for female worshippers), now partially disappeared. Also the polychrome interior decoration is now missing. The dome was also rebuilt in Baroque style after the original had crumbled down.
Chapel of Saint Aquilino
Other chapels were added to the original edifice. Notable is the octagonal Capella di Sant'Aquilino (chapel of St. Aquilino), adjoining the main church to the south. The chapel, which may have originally been built as an imperial Roman mausoleum [3] [4], features important 4th century Paleochristian mosaics. Among the mosaics is included a formulaic depiction of Jesus, as "Christ the Lawgiver" ("Traditio Legis" - "handing over the law") or possibly "Christ the teacher." Jesus is seated on a throne, flanked by a "school" of his Apostles, with a scroll box at his feet. [5] The chapel was later dedicated to the martyr Saint Aquilino of Milan (or Saint Aquilinus of Cologne), with his remains being housed in the chapel.[3] A 17th century reliquary ark for the saint was crafted by Lombardian architect Carlo Garavaglia (flourished 1634-1635). The fresco The Rediscovery of Saint Aquilinus of Cologne's Corpse, by Carlo Urbino, decorates the wall behind the main altar in the Sant'Aquilino chapel.
Colonne di San Lorenzo
The square facing the basilica features the so-called "Colonne di San Lorenzo" (Columns of St. Lawrence), one of the few remains of the Roman "Mediolanum", dating from the 3rd century AD and probably belonging to the large baths built by the emperor Maximian. They were carried in the current place when the basilica construction was finished.
The apse area of the ancient basilica is now a park. Previously the area was occupied by a channel or a lake (probably with a port), while later it was used in public executions, one of which is recounted in Alessandro Manzoni's Storia della Colonna Infame.
References
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2008) |
Notes
- ^ a b Sutton. Western Architecture. pp. p.24.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ laura Fieni 2007 p411"The Art of Building in Milan during Late Antiquity: San Lorenzo Maggiore" in Technology in Transition AD 300-650 ed. L.Lavan, E. Zanini & A. Sarantis Brill Leiden
- ^ a b Staddon and Weston. Milan's 25 Best. pp. p. 35.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ Krautheimer. Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture. pp. p. 56.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ Beckwith. Early Christian and Byzantine Art. pp. p. 31.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help)
Sources
- Beckwith, John (1979) [1970]. "Early Christian Art: Rome and the Legacy of the Caesars". Early Christian and Byzantine Art. The Pelican History of Art (2nd edition ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. p. 31. ISBN 0-14-0560-33-5.
{{cite book}}:|edition=has extra text (help);|pages=has extra text (help) - A. Calderini, G. Chierici, and C.Cecchelli (1951). La basilica di S. Lorenzo Maggiore in Milano (in Italian). Milan.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - de Capitani d'Arzago, A. (1942). Architettura dei secoli quarto e quinto in Alta Italia (in Italian). Milan.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - de Capitani d'Arzago, A. (1948). "Actes du VIe Congrès International des Études Byzantines". vol. II. Paris: p. 80.
{{cite journal}}:|pages=has extra text (help);|volume=has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help); Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - Krautheimer, Richard (1965). "Christian Architecture in the Capitals 335-400". Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture. The Pelican History of Art. Baltimore: Penguin Books. pp. pp. 55-57.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - Staddon, Jackie and Weston, Hilary (2005). Milan's 25 Best. Fodor's CITYPACK. New York: Fodor's Travel Publications. pp. p. 35. ISBN 1-4000-1516-2.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Sutton, Ian (1999). "The Christian Legacy of Rome". Western Architecture: From Ancient Greece to the Present. World of Art. London: Thames and Hudson. pp. p. 24. ISBN 0-500-20316-4.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - Verzone, Paolo (1942). L'architettura religiosa dell'alto medio evo nell'Italia settentrionale (in Italian). Milan.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Ward Perkins, J. B. (1947). "The Italian Element in Late Roman and Medieval Architecture". Annual Italian Lecture of the British Academy.
{{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help)