When I was around eleven years old, my parents took my brother and me on our first trip to Europe. I loved being in the city – walking through the narrow streets, marveling at the exotic architecture, hearing foreign languages being spoken all around me. Something I did not love, however, was my parents’ need to pop into basically every old church or cathedral we passed by. I was all like, “Hey parents what are we doing in these old, musky churches while we’re on vacation? Let’s go to the mall or the beach. This isn’t fun.” While the ‘rents made their rounds, I focused on annoying my brother, popping out from behind columns or making idiotic faces to cause him to bust out laughing in the silent space.
Clearly, I was very mature and cultured.
Now, I understand their motivations. Although I’m a museum junkie at heart, I get curious everytime I pass an old church in Milan, feeling a pull to go inside and at least take a look. Churches are some of the oldest buildings and examples of historical architecture that we have. They’re often completely different on the inside then you would expect them to be based on their outward appearance, and vice versa, much like people I might add. It’s a free activity and you can spend as little or as long as you like, simply looking at the decor, pausing to reflect, or imagining rows and rows of Renaissance men lined up to sing hymns in the tights they considered to be their Sunday best. If you find yourself in Milan, you will surely encounter a handful of churches as you move around the city. I took it upon myself to pop into the ones I pass I on a daily basis, snap some photos and compile a list of the most beautiful churches in Milan.
Disclaimer: the Duomo is not on this list, because it’s too obvious and I mean duh, you should go in.
San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore
If you only go inside one church while you’re here, for heaven’s sake, make it this one. Located on Corso Magenta, it doesn’t look like much from the outside: the simple gray stone facade is pretty, but gives no indication of the ornate interior. However, as soon as you go into the 16th century church, you’ll understand why it’s nicknamed the “Sistine Chapel of Milan.” Every square inch of the walls and ceilings are frescoed and embellished. The back room used to be a nun’s cloister, and they participated in the mass from this section, completely separated from the congregation.
Tuesday – Sunday 9:30 am – 7:30 pm
San Marco
Located in a tranquil piazza on the edge of Corso Garibaldi before the beginning of Brera, this 14th century church is characterized by a red-orange brick exterior. It used to overlook and be reflected in the Navigli canal before it was paved over in the 30s. The interior is decorated with grand paintings and ornately frescoed ceilings. Cool fact: a teenage Mozart once performed here and lived in the manse for three months. Giuseppe Verdi also conducted his own composition, Messa de Requiem, for the funeral mass of Alessandro Manzoni.
Monday – Friday 7:15 am – 12 pm and 4 pm to 7 pm
Basilica di San Lorenzo Maggiore
The basilica is located in front of the Columns of San Lorenzo, which were erected circa the 3rd century using the materials from the Roman amphitheatre in the area. Built at the end of the 4th century, San Lorenzo is one of the oldest churches in Milan, although it was reconstructed twice in the 11th and 12th centuries after fires broke out. Not to mention the time the cupola collapsed in the 16th century. Inside you’ll find high imposing ceilings, a circular layout, and the Chapel of Sant’Aquilino, built using Byzantine mosaics.
Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 12:20 pm and 2:30 pm – 6:30 pm | Sat & Sun 9 am – 1 pm and 3 pm – 7 pm
Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio
This is another one of the oldest and most important churches in Milan, located near Navigli. It was consecrated by Saint Ambrose in 387 and reconstructed in a Lombard Romanesque style in the 11th century. It features a large courtyard and two bell towers on the outside, while the inside is fairly simple with various archways, mosaics and the eerie but elegantly dressed skeletons of three saints: Sant Ambrose, Saint Gervasus and Saint Protasus.
Monday – Saturday 10 am – 12 pm and 2:30 pm – 6 pm | Sunday 3 pm – 5 pm
Sant Eustorgio
This one has a pretty cool back story. Legend has it that in the 4th century, Saint Eustorgio received the relics of the three Magi during a trip to Constantinople. He was transporting the relics back to Milan when his donkey gave out – ugh, don’t you just hate it when your donkey gives out – and taking it as a sign, he decided to construct the church right there. Then in 1164, Barbarossa invaded Milan, stealing the relics and bringing them back to Cologne, Germany, where they were placed in the cathedral. It is said that centuries later the relics were “partially returned” to Milan, but um, I don’t know what that means. Anyway the brick church is located near Navigli and the inside features frescoed ceilings, sweeping arches, and the elaborately decorated Portinari Chapel.
Monday – Saturday 7:45 am to 5 pm | Sunday 9:30 am – 11 am, 12:30 pm – 5 pm
Santa Maria della Scala in San Fedele
If you’re exploring the area around the Duomo you’ll surely encounter this little piazza with the tall and lovely church of San Fedele at its center. In front of the church stands a statue of Alessandro Mazoni, Italian poet and novelist, who is said to have died after hitting his head inside the church. Opened in 1579, the church is an important example of architecture from the Counter-Reformation. Since it’s just down the street from the renowned La Scala theatre, it was known as the sanctuary of the ballerinas.
Basilica San Babila
Situated right in the center of the hustle and bustle, San Babila is a blatant example of the mixture of old and new in Milan. The oldest documents proving its existence are from around 1140. Inside the Romanesque church, the interior is fairly simple with three naves featuring paintings and some medieval elements. Alessandro Manzoni was baptized here in 1785.
Monday – Sunday 7:30 am – 12pm and 3:30 pm – 7 pm
San Bernardino alle Ossa
Get ready to get spooked. This church is absolutely fascinating to see, but it’s not for the faint hearted. San Bernardino was built in 1269 near the church San Stefano Maggiore and the Brolo hospital which no longer exists. It features two sections: the church itself and the ossuary. Needing a place to store the bones of the deceased, the interior of the church was decorated using the skulls and bones of patients from the Brolo hospital and nearby cemetery (“ossa” means bones in Italian). The skulls in cases above the doorways are believed to be those of prisoners who were executed and legend has it that every year on All Souls Day (November 2) a little girl whose remains are in the church comes back to life and leads the other skeletons in dance.
Monday – Friday 8 – 6 pm |Sat 9:30 – 6 pm | Sun 9:30 – 12 pm (ossuary is closed Sundays)
Santo Sepolcro
This church is also located in the city center, close to the Duomo. Built in 1030, the exterior has undergone many changes from the Baroque style to its current Lombard Romanesque style. The interior features two parts: the upper church and the crypt. The upper church has a dreamlike aesthetic with cream walls, gold details and stained glass windows, while the crypt allows visitors to view slabs of marble pavement taken from the ancient Roman forum of the 4th century. Cool fact: Leonardo da Vinci sketched several pictures of the church’s layout which help explain how the structure is still in tact.
Santa Maria del Carmine
Situated in the center of the charming Piazza del Carmine at the edge of Brera across from Castello Sforzesco, this church dates back to the 15th century. The outside is an example of Lombard Neo-Gothic art with brick and terra cotta. Inside, the church is more understated, but there is a gorgeous ornate chapel in the back right corner.
Monday – Sunday from 8 am to 6 pm
