Imagine a bustling Milan long ago. It was a city much different from the one we see today. The Resti della Chiesa di San Salvatore hold secrets of this past.
This church stood in a place called Contrada dei Due Muri. Today, that street no longer exists. It was lost when they built the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The Resti della Chiesa di San Salvatore were demolished in 1814. This made way for the Teatro Re. Luigi Cagnola designed the theater.
Before the Resti della Chiesa di San Salvatore, a Roman temple to Jupiter stood here. This was similar to the Campidoglio in Rome. The church’s story began with Arciprete Dateo. He founded a brefotrofio or xenodochio in 787. This was like an orphanage. The Resti della Chiesa di San Salvatore served as its chapel. That’s why it was called “in Xenodochio”.
Orphans were cared for here. They were baptized, fed, and clothed. They learned a trade. If there were no children, the xenodochio helped the poor and travelers.
The Resti della Chiesa di San Salvatore were small and old in the 17th century. Richini renovated it. Around 1733, the inside was changed. It gained golden stucco decorations.
From 1576 to 1787, the Resti della Chiesa di San Salvatore were a parish. After that, it joined the Duomo. The church had one nave and three chapels. Two were on the sides, and one was in the center.
One chapel honored San Cristoforo. Panfilo Nuvolone painted The Marriage of the Virgin for it. Blind and crippled people loved this chapel. They wore medallions of the saint for protection. Another chapel held a wooden image of the Virgin. Near the choir was an old painting. It showed the Crucifixion with the Virgin and Saint John.
A mosaic tombstone for Dateo was on the floor. It read: “Sancte memento Deus, quia condidit iste Datheus Hanc Aulam miseris auxilio pueris”. This translates to: “Remember, O God, that Dateo founded this hall to help poor children”.
Richini’s work gave the church a new facade. It had Ionic pilasters. In 1733, the church was restored again. It was adorned with golden stucco. A rector alone governed it then. Now only the Resti della Chiesa di San Salvatore remain. They remind us of Milan’s long and varied history.