Church of St. Gerardino

The Church of St. Gerardino (also known as the Church of St. Gerardo Intramurano) is the oldest and historically most precious of the three churches that Monza dedicated to St. Gerardo, joint patron saint of the town with St. John the Baptist.

St. Gerardo dei Tintori (born between 1134 and 1140, died in 1207) anticipates a personal path that partly brings the saint closer to the figure of Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). Gerardo was the son of a wealthy dyer.

With the substantial inheritance from his father, Gerardo – who was close to the poor and the ill – opened a hospital in a few rooms in his father’s house, on the left bank of the Lambro River and by the bridge today called “San Gerardino”. A document from 1174 reveals the drafting of an agreement on the overall management of the hospital between St. Gerardo, the municipality of Monza and the Cathedral Chapter. The deed defines the administrative status of the first healthcare entity of Monza, which - although subject to ecclesiastical authority – was autonomous. The municipality was entrusted with the charity institution’s legal guardianship.

A second document, dated 1352, certifies that there was a small church in the courtyard of the house-hospital, the same church we can see today that originally would have served as the hospital’s chapel. The building was decorated in the 16^th century with celebratory paintings from St. Gerardo’s life. In the 18^th century the facade and building were further reshaped according to the period’s style.