The Columns of San Lorenzo are one of the symbols of Milano. The center of the nightlife is the square on which they stand out, one after the other, in front of the ancient Basilica of San Lorenzo. Sixteen in all, the columns appear once you enter the ogival arch of the medieval one Ticinese holder. Another, the seventeenth, different from the previous ones because it is miniature and has the cross on it, is visible on the top of the arch which is located in the center of the columns.
Historic heart and center of nightlife
The Columns of San Lorenzo, rare surviving relics of imperial Milan, are approximately seven and a half meters high. Made of Musso marble, with Corinthian capitals and only partially relevant architraves, they rest on a rustic stone stylobate. Probably belonging to a pagan temple, they date back to the 2nd or 3rd century. They were transported to their current location when the basilica of San Lorenzo was built. The capitals, however, come from two different buildings, which can be understood because they are different in style and size.
Leaning against the basilica there are other bodies, including the chapel of Sant'Aquilino with mosaics from the Roman period. The Columns have a particular emotional meaning for the Milanese, because they bear witness to the history of ancient Mediolanum, which survived the destruction of the Goths, Barbarossa and the bombings of the Second World War. In the square between the basilica and the columns, until 1935, there was an entire block made up of old popular buildings, which was subsequently demolished.
Today, and since 1937, the bronze statue of the Emperor Constantine stands out in the center of the square, a modern copy of a late antique original preserved in Rome. In the square, which has become a meeting centre, people meet in the evening. Here, in fact, near the columns, are the most fashionable clubs in the city. Their position is strategic as they are located halfway between the Navigli and Piazza del Duomo.
During some archaeological excavations in the 1600s an epigraph dedicated to Lucius Verus (emperor from 161 to 169 AD), heir of Antoninus Pius, which suggests the period of reconstruction of the columns dating back to the mid-50nd century AD. The epigraph is located at the far left. The columns were restored for the first time in the 80s, the second time in the XNUMXs. These interventions have further fortified the structure and brought the colonnade back to its maximum splendor.
(Photo: Columns of San Lorenzo, Facebook Page)
