{"id":599,"date":"2023-11-26T07:11:11","date_gmt":"2023-11-26T07:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediolan.pl\/?p=599"},"modified":"2025-04-05T16:44:32","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T16:44:32","slug":"milans-coat-of-arms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediolan.pl\/en\/milans-coat-of-arms\/","title":{"rendered":"Milan\u2019s coat of arms: a symbol of the city\u2019s identity and history"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A story with a sow<\/h2>\n\n

The Coat of Arms of Milan \u2013 There are many legends about the founding of Milan that are linked to its history. There are those who claim that the true founder of Milan was the mythological Bellovesco, a Gallic chieftain who, during an expedition near the Alps, was inspired by the beauty of the area and decided to stop. The year was around 600 BC. The Gauls instructed the priests to ask the Gods for the most suitable place to settle and to name the city that would become the capital of the territory they had conquered. <\/p>\n\n

\n
\n
\"a<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

The gods replied: \u201cLook for a place where a sow is grazing with half of its back covered in the wool\u201d; hence the name of the city: Mediolanum (in medio lanae = half wool)<\/i>. This is the most famous legend confirmed by the first coat of arms of the city. A sow with wool <\/b>on her back, which can still be seen today carved into the second arch of the Palazzo della Ragione in the piazza Mercanti. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Coat of arms of Milan \u2013 the snake<\/h2>\n\n

This coat of arms is followed by the famous (non-venomous) snake on the flag. <\/p>\n\n

Its first appearance dates back to the early 11th century. It was during this time that Ottone III instructed Archbishop Arnolfo to go to the court of the Byzantine Empire to make a deal for his marriage to a princess of that court. In addition to the bride, Arnolfo brought back from the East two other wonders: A statue that, with the help of an ingenious mechanism, was able to formulate a few words that predicted the future and a precious bronze snake from the time of Moses. But as soon as he reached the port of Bari with his fianc\u00e9e, the news of Otto\u2019s death reached him, just as the statue had predicted. <\/p>\n\n

The future bride returned to the East, taking the statue with her, while the Archbishop came back to Milan with the serpent. To this day, it can be seen in one of the porphyry columns inside the Basilica of Saint Ambrose<\/a>, halfway down the central nave, and women attribute to it miraculous powers against certain childhood illnesses. Since then, the serpent has become a symbol of the city and started appearing on banners. <\/p>\n\n

\"Milan's<\/figure>
\n

There is also another legend, according to which the snake appears in the coat of arms of the ancient Visconti. According to it, one of the warriors called Azzone, who belonged to the family, was in the battles against the Florentines in Pisa (1323). One day, tired after a long march, he dismounted his horse, took off his helmet, and fell asleep under a tree. The snake crawled into his headgear and nestled there. When Azzone woke up, he put on his helmet, and all of a sudden a snake crawled out of the helmet with its mouth wide open. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The soldiers who were in the vicinity were frightened, but not Azzone, who let the snake get away without killing it. He also took it as a sign, and since the snake was not poisonous, he wanted to present it with a child in its mouth, but it would not harm the child\u2026 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

<\/div>\n\n

Quick links:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n