| Basilica of Saint Simplician Basilica di San Simpliciano | |
|---|---|
 Façade of San Simpliciano. | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Ambrosian Rite |
| Year consecrated | 3rd-century |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Milan, Italy |
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| Geographic coordinates | 45°28′26″N9°11′04″E / 45.473888°N 9.184474°E /45.473888; 9.184474 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Church |
| Style | Latin cross plan, with a four-bay nave and two aisles. |
| Website | |
| www | |
TheBasilica of San Simpliciano is an ancientRoman Catholic church in the centre ofMilan, region of Lombardy,Italy: the church, commissioned by the 4th century bishop St Ambrose, is the second-oldest known Christian church with a Latin cross layout. It is dedicated toSaint Simplician, who was Ambrose's successor as bishop of Milan.
In the 3rd century, the site of the present church was occupied by a pagan cemetery. HereSt. Ambrose commissioned the construction of theBasilica Virginum ("Basilica of the Virgins"), which was finished by his successorSimplicianus, who was buried there. A brick with the mark of the Lombard KingAgilulf shows that repairs were made between 590 and 615 AD.
In the ninth century theCluniac Benedictines took possession of the church. In 1176, a legend associated with the church arose and spread, that held miraculously the bodies of the martyrs held in this church flew asdoves to the field ofBattle of Legnano, and landed on the city of Milan'sCarroccio, (a ceremonial war wagon). This was interpreted by troops as the divine sign promising victory againstFrederick Barbarossa's army.
When the building was modified between the 12th and 13th centuries, giving it the presentRomanesque appearance, the original walls were preserved to a height of 22 meters.[1] On the night of 6–7 April 1252 the body ofPeter of Verona (later St. Peter Martyr) lay in state after his assassination. A great multitude came to watch vigil, and the origins of Peter's cult began, as people started to report miraculous occurrences. In 1517, the convent was placed under the control of theBenedictines of Montecassino.The Benedictines remained here until 1798, when the convent was secularized, and for a time, the monastery was turned into barracks.
In the 16th century the Spanish governorFerrante Gonzaga had the bell tower lowered by 25 meters. The dome and the side wings were also modified in 1582. Other interventions were carried out in the 19th century, with poor results, while the façade was reworked in 1870. In 1927 stained-glass windows portraying episodes of the battle of Legnano were added.
On the façade, the arcades that surmount the portals indicate the presence of an ancient portico, now disappeared. The upper part, the most modified in the 19th century, has twomullioned windows in the centre, an upper triple mullioned window and decorative arches. Late Renaissance mullioned windows also decorate the bell tower.
The interior is on the Latin cross plan, with a four-bay nave and two aisles. The transept is divided into two aisles.
The side chapels have decorations from various eras, from Renaissance to Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical. In the right transept is a painting byAlessandro Varotari (Il Padovanino) portraying theDefeat of the Cammolesi. Next to the apse entrance are saints frescoed byAurelio Luini. The apse vault is decorated by what is consideredAmbrogio da Fossano's masterwork, theIncoronation of Mary.
Also on the left of the apse is the entrance to the smallsacellum dedicated to the Martyrs of Anaunia, not before the end of the fourth century, as in a passage inMaximus of Turin's Sermo 81[2] Maximus designates himself a witness of the martyrdom of three missionary priests in 397 at Anaunia in theRhaetian Alps.
The western wall of the transept has aMarriage of the Virgin byCamillo Procaccini.
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