Chiesa di S. Gerardo

The Church of San Gerardo al Corpo stands near the place where one of the oldest churches of Monza, dedicated to St. Ambrose and established in 956, once existed. St. Gerardo's body was buried on the premises of the church in 1207. After 40 days upon people's will his body was exhumed, laid in a sarcophagus and placed near the altar. In time the worshipping of the saint grew: in 1247 St. Gerardo was beatified and in 1330 consecrated.

In the 14^th century the name of the Church of Sant'Ambrogio was changed in favour of the celebrated joint patron saint of Monza. In 1583 St. Charles Borromeo confirmed the cult of St. Gerardo. Finally, in 1740 the saint's relics were placed in a silver-decorated crystal shrine and displayed for the worshippers in the chapel of the transept on the right.

The present Church of San Gerardo is the result of architectural work started in 1836 upon architect Giacomo Moraglia's project. The apse - where St. Gerardo's shrine is kept - and the main altar of the former temple have been incorporated at the bottom of the transept on the right.