San Babila is a Romanesque -style Roman Catholic church in Milan , region of Lombardy, Italy . It was once considered the third most important in the city after the Duomo and the Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio . It is dedicated to Saint Babylas of Antioch .
7-513: At the beginning of the 5th century, Marolus , the bishop of Milan, brought from Antioch to Milan relics of saints Babylas of Antioch and Romanus of Caesarea . Marolus founded the Basilica Concilia Sanctorum or church of San Romano, which stood until the 19th century, a few meters south of the church of San Babila, on the site of a Roman temple dedicated to the Sun. The church of San Babila
14-512: A period when the condottiere Gabriele Serbelloni may have been in Milan. The lion is now the symbol of the neighborhood. Marolus Marolus ( Italian : Marolo ) was Archbishop of Milan from 408 to 423. He is honoured as a Saint in the Catholic Church and his feast day is April 23. According to the writings of Ennodius , bishop of Pavia in early 6th-century, Marolus was born on
21-575: The Lion ( Colonna del Leone ) in front of the main facade of the church, has a murky history. Inscriptions on the structure recall it derives from spoils of a Milanese victory against the Venetians, suggesting the damaged sculpture dates to the era of the Visconti rule . Another inscription recalls the restoration or erection of the column by someone named Serbelloni, either in 1540 or in 1628. The former date reflects
28-596: The banks of the Tigris in Mesopotamia . Probably due to the persecutions by Shapur II , Marolus moved before 380 to Syria where he grew up. He later moved to Rome, where he became friend of Pope Innocent I , and finally to Milan , where he became the bishop in 408. Marolus was the bishop of Milan during an invasion of Italy by the Visigoths and he helped the victims of the invasion. He probably brought to Milan from Antioch
35-582: The early 20th century, Paolo Cesa Bianchi designed the Neo-Romanesque façade that we now see. Previous to 1927, the church had a Mannerist facade with pilasters and a protruding portal with columns and a roofline surmounted by spherical pinnacles with palm-leaves above. The bell tower is from 1920, and replaced the original tower which fell down in the 16th century. The interior has a nave and two aisles; it ends in typical multilobular semicircular Romanesque apses. There are two side chapels that date from
42-558: The late Renaissance. The right aisle has an image of the Madonna which is highly venerated by the Milanese population. Inside the basilica there is a Zanin pipe organ (2008), completely made with a mechanical transmission system. The instrument, inspired by the German baroque organs, is used for liturgies and concerts. Currently, the titular organist of the basilica is Michele Zanella. The Column of
49-405: Was built on the same site in about 1095. In the 16th century, the church was extended with an additional construction at the front and a new baroque façade. The church still retains its original medieval fabric, although much was lost due to baroque and modern renovations. The whole complex was renovated in the 19th century with the intent of restoring the appearance of the medieval basilica, and in
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