Basilica of San Lorenzo, Milan
| Basilica of Saint Lawrence Basilica di San Lorenzo |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Milan, Italy |
| Geographic coordinates | 45°27′30″N 09°10′55″E / 45.45833°N 9.18194°ECoordinates: 45°27′30″N 09°10′55″E / 45.45833°N 9.18194°E |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Ambrosian |
| Province | Archdiocese of Milan |
| Country | Italy |
| Year consecrated | 402 |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Basilica |
| Status | Active |
| Website | sanlorenzomaggiore.com |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Basilica |
| Architectural style | Early Christian, Renaissance, Baroque |
| Groundbreaking | 364 |
| Completed | 18th century |
The Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore is an important place of catholic worship located in Milan, within the ring of canals, originally built in Roman times and subsequently rebuilt several times over a number of centuries. Located close to the mediaeval Ticino gate, it is one of the oldest churches in Milan. It is near the city park called Basilicas Park, which includes both the Basilica of San Lorenzo and the Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio, as well as the Roman Colonne di San Lorenzo.
The basilica was built between the late fourth and early fifth centuries. The exact date is uncertain, as are the name of who commissioned it and the circumstances of its foundation. According to some scholars San Lorenzo was erected to coincide with the “Basilica Portiana”, which was built by the “Augusto of the West” (Valentinian I or Valentinian II) to please the Bishop of Milan Aussenzzio (355–372) of the Arian faith. If this were to be true, San Lorenzo would have preceded the foundation of the four Ambrosian basilicas. Supporting this proposition is the fact that the Basilica Portiana, cited in many sources that were quoting the struggle of Ambrose to remove it from the Arians, has never been identified with certainty by archaeologists.
A second proposition gives the date of the foundation of the church to a later period, between 390 and 402, and attributes its commissioning to Theodosius I or Stilicho. Evidence for this proposition comes from archaeological investigations carried out between 2002 and 2004. Supporters of this view are divided as to the function of the building; for some it is an imperial basilica that would have confirmed the role of Milan as the imperial capital of the West, in rivalry with Rome and Constantinople; for others it is a mausoleum for the Theodosian dynasty.
What is certain is that at the time of its construction the basilica was the largest, centrally planned building in the West. The dedication of the temple to St. Laurence (San Lorenzo) the martyr has been certified only from 590, when Milan was already controlled by the Lombards.
While Medieval Milan underwent a period of decline, San Lorenzo maintained a leading role in the city's liturgy: as the highest place in Milan it came to represent the Mount of Olives and on Palm Sunday the bishop blessed the palms and led the procession that from there to the now-demolished Basilica of Santa Tecla.
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