The 3 Wise Men...and Milan!?
"We three kings of Orient are"... in Milan?
Traditional churches in the "modern world" don't generate the kind of curiosity and wonder one feels inside the ancient churches of Europe and perhaps especially among the multitude of them in Italy.
SANT'EUSTORGIO, in the piazza of the same name, in the evocative Porta Ticinese quarter of Milan, is actually said to house the remains of the mythic 3 Kings in the "Cappella dei Magi."
The church itself, which dates back to the 4th and 9th centuries, is dark and fascinating, and the relics of the Magi are said to have been brought there in the 1100s. Further footnotes claim they were later removed and partially returned in the early 1900s. Partially returned? Does that mean only one King remains --- or parts of each? Nevertheless, the sarcaphogus remains massive and impressive, and I can only hope the church custodian has removed the mop, bucket and broom he was leaning against it upon my last visit!
Perhaps even more interesting inside the church is the separate CAPPELLA PORTINARI, completely frescoed by the Lombardian master Vincenzo Foppa in the late 1400s. The style is friendly, colorful yet devout and the subject is St. Peter Martyr (whose tomb dominates the chapel). Now completely restored, it's well worth the admission price.
