Saint Ambrose, Brugherio

Saint Ambrose (Chiesetta di Sant'Ambrogio)
Exterior view of the church
Basic information
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Municipality	Brugherio
State	Italy
Province	Monza and Brianza
Region	Lombardy
Country	Italy
Status	Church
Patron	Saint Ambrose
Architectural description
Architectural type	Church
Architectural style	Neoromanesque, Gothic

Coordinates: 45°32′48″N 9°18′55″E / 45.54674°N 9.31535°E / 45.54674; 9.31535

Saint Ambrose (Italian: Chiesetta di Sant'Ambrogio) is a small church which is an annex to the farmhouse that takes its name from it, in Brugherio, Italy.

According to oral and literary sources, in the fourth century, where the church and its farm are now located, there was a villa belonging to the Bishop of Milan, Ambrose. His sister, Marcellina, was consecrated as chaste along with other noble virgins, and Ambrose gave her this land for contemplation and prayer. Ambrose used to retire here to meditate and write. In addition, together with his sister he spread the Christian faith in country villages (pagus in Latin).

Ambrose gave his sister a part of the relics of the three Magi who had been brought to Milan as a gift from the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I to Bishop Eustorgio. The relics were preserved for centuries and then "found" by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, who moved them to the parish church.

The religious complex was home to various religious orders: the Benedictines, the Augustinians and the Humiliati. On the site of the present church there was another built during the twelfth century. The Humiliati in 1539 moved to the monastery of Saint Catherine Chiusa of Milano, while maintaining ownership of the monastery. Among the assets of the monastic complex there was a chapel used for prayer mentioned by Cardinal Federico in the report of the pastoral visit of 1596. In it, he describes the precarious architectural state (which prompted a series of restorations undertaken until 1621), and the wealth of the church utensils. The church appears in the maps of the Teresian Cadastre of 1763, including a building located along the road to Carugate.