Cascina Sant'Ambrogio is the oldest among the
farmhouses in
Brugherio
Brugherio (; in lmo, Brughee ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Monza and Brianza in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan.
It was established December 9, 1866 unifying the suppressed municipalities of B ...
, Italy. It is annexed to
Saint Ambrose Church from which it takes its name.
History
The ''coenobium'' of Saint Marcellina
During the fourth century, ''Via dei Mille'' was a portion of ''Via Burdigalense''. Historians speculate that the location of Brugherio was important for the passage of goods from
Aquileia
Aquileia / / / / ;Bilingual name of ''Aquileja – Oglej'' in: vec, Aquiłeja / ; Slovenian: ''Oglej''), group=pron is an ancient Roman city in Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about from the sea, on the river N ...
to the river of Fluvium Frigidum in the stop of Mansio Fluvio Frigidum Milia XII. The commercial importance of this land for the
Pars Occidentalis Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...
alludes as to the presence of buildings and property connected to
Monza
Monza (, ; lmo, label=Lombard language, Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po River, Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capit ...
and
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
. In fact, at the end of the fourth century the area belonged to the
Ambrose
Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promo ...
, Bishop of Milan. He donated the property and the convent to his sister
Marcellina, who had chosen to retire to contemplative life. He also gave her part of the relics of the
Three Magi
The biblical Magi from Middle Persian ''moɣ''(''mard'') from Old Persian ''magu-'' 'Zoroastrian clergyman' ( or ; singular: ), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, also the Three Magi were distinguished foreigners in the G ...
kept in the
Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio
The Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio is a church in Milan in northern Italy, which is in the Basilicas Park city park. It was for many years an important stop for pilgrims on their journey to Rome or to the Holy Land, because it was said to contain the ...
in Milan. The Bishop of Milan used to retire in the farmhouse for contemplation and prayer.
Low-Middle Ages
The area was occupied by a monastery of the
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
nuns in 1099. The presence of monasteries linked to the orders of the
Cluniac Reforms
The Cluniac Reforms (also called the Benedictine Reform) were a series of changes within medieval monasticism of the Western Church focused on restoring the traditional monastic life, encouraging art, and caring for the poor. The movement began wit ...
was a feature of the
Lombardy
Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...
region. Between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, the monastery and its territories went to other religious orders (including
Humiliati
The Humiliati (Italian ''Umiliati'') were an Italian religious order of men formed probably in the 12th century. It was suppressed by a papal bull in 1571 though an associated order of women continued into the 20th century.
Origin
The origin of ...
s). Up to 1362 it was still nuns who kept the administration of land assets after the transfer in the monastery of Saint Bartolo in
Rancate
Rancate was a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.
On 5 April 2009 the municipalities of Arzo, Capolago
Capolago is a village situated at the south-eastern extremity of Lake Lugano, in the ...
.
Between 14th century and 19th century
In 1539 the Humiliatis were moved to the monastery of Saint Catherine alla Chiusa of Milan by
Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III ( la, Paulus III; it, Paolo III; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549), born Alessandro Farnese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death in November 1549.
He came to ...
.
In 1578 and then 1596 the monastery was visited by Saint
Charles Borromeo
Charles Borromeo ( it, Carlo Borromeo; la, Carolus Borromeus; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was the Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584 and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation combat ...
and
Federigo Borromeo
Federico Borromeo (18 August 1564 – 21 September 1631) was an Italian cardinal and Archbishop of Milan, a prominent figure of Counter-Reformation Italy.
Early life
Federico Borromeo was born in Milan as the second son of Giulio Cesare Borro ...
. They discovered the holy relics that were recognized as those of the Magi. In 1613 they were transferred to the parish church of
Saint Bartholomew
Bartholomew (Aramaic: ; grc, Βαρθολομαῖος, translit=Bartholomaîos; la, Bartholomaeus; arm, Բարթողիմէոս; cop, ⲃⲁⲣⲑⲟⲗⲟⲙⲉⲟⲥ; he, בר-תולמי, translit=bar-Tôlmay; ar, بَرثُولَماو ...
. The land's cultivation was entrusted to the settlers living in the monastery by the nuns of Saint Catherine. The farm was cited in 1640 by
Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As po ...
and in the
land register
Land registration is any of various systems by which matters concerning ownership, possession, or other rights in land are formally recorded (usually with a government agency or department) to provide evidence of title, facilitate transactions, ...
of
Charles VI in 1720. The grounds of the monastery increased to 704
poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...
at the death of the Marquis Omodeo Baraggia, who donated them to the nuns in 1730. The absence of the nuns and the transfer of the relics of the Magi marked the beginning of the farm's decline until the suppression of
monastic
Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...
orders by
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
.
![09BrugherioSAmbrogio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/09BrugherioSAmbrogio.JPG)
In 1804 the counts of Ottolini bought the farm.
It was given to Elizabeth Napollon after the death of her husband, count Giulio Ottolini. In 1844 it came under the control of Giuseppe Rizzi.
He restored the farm and its agricultural activities, poorly managed by the Napollon widow.
In 1863, the farm passed to his wife, Giuseppina Rogier,
who sold it in 1868 to Alessandro Gilardi. In 1874,
the property passed to his various discendens until 1883, when it was sold to Ercole Gnecchi, brother of Francesco Gnecchi, who restored the farmhouse and the church dedicated to Saint Ambrose.
The 20th century
In 1904 the property was transferred to the Dubini family, a family of Milanese industrialists which included Giuseppe, the mayor of Brugherio. In 1925 it was passed on to the Cavajoni-Bologna family, that radically restored the farmhouse and church in 1952, on the anniversary of the monastic consecration of Marcellina. These were the last owners of the farm that now houses residences.
Architecture and art
Having been built in the fourth century,
the structure of the farm is not the original one due to posterior restructuring work. The interior has a U-shaped lock with a long
porch
A porch (from Old French ''porche'', from Latin ''porticus'' "colonnade", from ''porta'' "passage") is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance of a building. A porch is placed in front of the facade of a building it commands, and form ...
, composed by eighteen granite
arcades,
reminiscent of the
cloister
A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...
.
To the east,
near the church,
one can find the original complex which was enlarged over the centuries. There was a room decorated with
fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
es depicting the Three Magi, meant to preserve the relics.
In 1844 this room was used as a mill.
The
façade
A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a Loanword, loan word from the French language, French (), which means 'frontage' or 'face'.
In architecture, the façade of a building is often t ...
facing Via dei Mille is decorated with
wrought-iron
Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a wood-like "grain" t ...
balconies
and was connected with a leafy avenue to the city center.
See also
*
Church of Saint Bartholomew
*
Church of Saint Ambrose
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{Brugherio
Tourist attractions in Lombardy
farmhouses in Brugherio