Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, Minor basilica in central Milan, Italy.
Sant'Ambrogio is a Romanesque minor basilica in central Milan that represents early Christianity in the city with its wide atrium and three aisles. Two brick towers of unequal height flank the structure and form a distinctive architectural ensemble together with the courtyard.
Ambrose had the building erected between 379 and 386 to house the relics of martyrs Gervasius and Protasius. Later rebuilds in the 11th and 12th centuries gave the complex its current Romanesque form.
The name comes from Ambrose, Milan's patron saint, whose remains lie with those of two martyrs in a silver shrine from the 1800s. Believers visit the crypt to pray and honor the three saints at this site.
Access is through the forecourt, which leads directly to the main facade and remains open to visitors during the day. The crypt lies beneath the main altar and can be reached by a small staircase.
A column inside displays two holes that legend says appeared when the devil hit the stone during an argument with the saint. Visitors often look at the marks with curiosity and try to imagine the story behind them.
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