Basilica di San Lorenzo

The Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore, located near the medieval Porta Ticinese, is one of the oldest basilicas in the city of Milan. Its architectural forms and solutions make it one of the most important masterpieces of the early Middle Ages and early Christian art.
The dedication to San Lorenzo martyr is only attested since 590, when Milan was already under Lombard rule.

It was built in Roman times and remodelled several times over the centuries. Archaeometric investigations in 2002/2004 have dated it to between the last decade of the 4th and the beginning of the 5th century, i.e. the last years of Emperor Theodosius and the period of Honorius and Stilicho.

It is assumed that at one time there was also a quadriporticus, of which only the sixteen columns of San Lorenzo remain. These date back to the Roman period and were transported to their present location as replacement material.

The dome has been rebuilt several times, since it was devastated by a fire, then struck by lightning which caused it to collapse; the current one was built between 1574 and 1591.

At the back of the basilica today there is a park, from which one can enjoy an excellent view of the church complex. Once there was a canal (or perhaps a small lake) and later it was used as a (very famous) place for executions, including the one recounted by Alessandro Manzoni in Storia della Colonna Infame, one of his most famous works.