Page "Milan" Paragraph 42

There are few remains of the ancient Roman colony that later became a capital of the Western Roman Empire.

During the second half of the fourth century, Saint Ambrose, as bishop of Milan, had a strong influence on the layout of the city, redesigning the centre ( although the cathedral and baptistery built at this time are now lost ) and building the great basilicas at the city gates: Sant ' Ambrogio, San Nazaro in Brolo, San Simpliciano and Sant ' Eustorgio, which still stand, refurbished over the centuries, as some of the finest and most important churches in Milan.

The largest and most important example of Gothic architecture in Italy, Milan's Cathedral, is the fourth largest in the world after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the Cathedral of Seville and a new cathedral in Côte d ' Ivoire.

Built between 1386 and 1577, it hosts the world's largest collection of marble statues and has a widely visible golden Madonna statue on top of the spire, nicknamed by the people of Milan as Madunina ( the little Madonna ), that became one of the symbols of the city.