Ambrose, bishop and doctor – December 7th
St Ambrose (d. 397, Milan, Italy) (Relics: Milan, Italy)
First Class Relics
Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio
(Basilica of Saint Ambrose)
Piazza Sant’Ambrogio 15
20123 Milano, Italy
*St Ambrose was the bishop of this city for over 20 years. It was during this time that St Augustine (d. 430) heard St Ambrose’s powerful preaching and became attracted to the Christian faith. Today the body of St Ambrose, dressed in white pontifical vestments, rests within an urn in the crypt of this church. Lying beside his remains are the bodies of two additional saints, the martyrs Gervasius and Protasius.
Churches of Honor in Rome
Sant'Ambrogio della Massima (Saint Ambrose)
Via S Ambrogio 3
Rome, Italy
*This church is located west of Piazza Venezia near the Fontana delle Tartarughe. It is set behind some buildings and is not easy to notice from the street. It is also not open often.
*Tradition holds that this church rests on land that was formerly the location of a house owned by St Ambrose’s father and occupied by his older sister.
*Relics of St Polycarp are set in a marble memorial stone under the main altar.
San Carlo al Corso (Saint Charles on the Corso)
Via del Corso 437
Rome, Italy
*This church is near the Spanish Steps.
*This church was formerly called Santi Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso and is therefore dedicated to both St Ambrose and St Charles Borromeo.
*The heart of St Charles Borromeo (d. 1584) rests in a reliquary within the altar located behind the sanctuary.
