Milan is not only one of the most important economic centres in Italy today, but has also been of outstanding importance from an ecclesiastical perspective since the 3rd/4th century at the latest. Its rise began as an imperial residence city, then it was above all Bishop Ambrose (339 in Trier; † 397 in Milan) who made Milan the ecclesiastical centre of the whole of northern Italy, on a par with the Pope in Rome.

Beneath the current Milan Cathedral are the bishop's church (Santa Tecla) and the baptistery (Santo Stefano) from the time of Ambrose, as well as the successor cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore with its baptistery of San Giovanni alle Fonti, although the attribution of the various (three?) early Christian church buildings is disputed.

These sites were first archaeologically investigated, or rather discovered, in 1943. This was related to the world war. An air-raid shelter was built on the cathedral square and the early Christian buildings were discovered, which were then destroyed (this can be done without bombs!).

There was a second phase of archaeological exploration from 1961 to 1963 and a third from 1996 to 2008.

These sites were first archaeologically investigated, or rather discovered, in 1943. This was related to the world war. An air-raid shelter was built on the cathedral square and the early Christian buildings were discovered, which were then destroyed (this can be done without bombs!).

There was a second phase of archaeological exploration from 1961 to 1963, and a third from 1996 to 2008.

In 2009, a congress was organised under the direction of the Chair of Medieval Archaeology at the Catholic University of Milan and the Milan Cathedral Building Workshop. After ten years, the results have now been published. In the meantime, digital technology has also been taken into account, which has benefited the volume.

The result is a comprehensive volume (900 pages and 1500 illustrations!) that is unrivalled: ‘Milano: Piazza Duomo prima del Duomo’ (Silvana Editoriale: 2023). It is undoubtedly the best archaeological documentation and most accurate analysis ever published on early Christian Milan. However, the content of the individual contributions is not always coordinated, so that different interpretations of the archaeological findings are presented.

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