Archbishop of Milan who founded Biblioteca Ambrosiana
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| Federico Borromeo was made Archbishop of Milan in 1595 at the age of 30 |
He followed his cousin and spiritual guide Carlo Borromeo - later canonised as Saint Charles Borromeo - as a leading figure in the Counter-Reformation movement in the Catholic Church.
Federico’s life was also notable for his personal charity during the famine of 1627-28, when he fed up to 2,000 people every day within his own residence, and for his bravery during the 1630 plague outbreak, when he stayed in Milan to visit the sick and the dying, despite the grave risk to his own health.
He was immortalised in Alessandro Manzoni’s seminal novel, I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed), in which the author holds up Federico’s work as Archbishop as an example of humble and courageous Christian charity, and even gives him a specific role in helping free Lucia, the kidnapped fiancée of the novel’s principal character, Renzo.
At the time of Federico’s birth, the Borromeo family were among the most powerful in northern Italy. Wealthy from banking and land ownership around Lake Maggiore, they maintained high-ranking political ties to the Duchy of Milan and were influential within the Church.
Federico’s father, Giulio Cesare Borromeo, a condottiero and the 9th Count of Arona, died when he was still a child, after which Carlo played an active role in shaping his life. He was educated at the Universities of Bologna and Pavia, where he earned a doctorate in theology in 1585. He then spent some time in Rome, where he came under the influence of leading Counter‑Reformation thinkers.
He was only 23 when he was created cardinal by Pope Sixtus V, to whom he was distantly related. He participated in a number of papal conclaves and became Archbishop of Milan in 1595, following the death of the incumbent, Gaspare Visconti.
Federico looked again to Carlo Borromeo for guidance, his cousin having himself held the post between 1564 and 1584. He followed the example of his predecessor by imposing discipline on the clergy, founding churches and colleges at his own expense, and strictly applying the canons of the Council of Trent, which were the cornerstones of the Counter-Reformation movement.
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| Federico's cousin, Carlo Borromeo, had a major influence on the young Federico |
After his appointment as Archbishop of Milan, he sent emissaries to collect manuscripts and printed matter from all over the world and began working with architects Lelio Buzzi, Francesco Maria Richini and later Fabio Mangone on the construction of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana.
Founded in 1607, it comprised a public library - one of the first in the world along with the Bodleian Library in Oxford - an art gallery and an academy. It opened its doors to the public - at least those able to read and write - in 1609.
In 1618, Federico added a collection of statues and paintings to the Biblioteca. This later became the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, the first art museum to be open to the public.
It began by housing Federico’s personal collection of 184 artworks, among them Caravaggio’s Basket of Fruit, which he commissioned, Leonardo Da Vinci’s Portrait of a Musician, Sandro Botticelli’s Madonna of the Pavilion, an Adoration of the Magi by Titian, and several works by Jan Brueghel the Elder, the Flemish painter who was a close friend.
History has applauded Federico for his courage when Milan was in the grip of plague in 1630. Despite being 65 years old and highly vulnerable, he refused to isolate himself in a countryside villa. Instead, he walked the desolate streets of Milan daily, visiting hospitals, quarantined homes, and the crowded, infected wards of the Lazzaretto - the plague hospital - to comfort the dying.
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| A 1670 painting by Luigi Pellegrini Scaramuccia shows Federico visiting a plague hospital in Milan |
The public burning at the stake of those accused of witchcraft became fairly regular occurrences. Federico also organised the raising of funds for the creation of a Milanese prison for witches and wizards.
Federico’s other achievements include commissioning the erection of the Colossus of San Carlo Borromeo, a giant 35m (115ft) statue of his cousin, who was canonised in 1610 - just 26 years after his death. The statue, located at the crowning of the Sacred Mount of Arona, overlooking Lake Maggiore, was erected between 1624 and 1698, based on a design by Giovanni Battista Crespi.
Milan’s Cathedral, which he embellished with paintings and sculptures during his lifetime, became his final resting place after he died in Milan in September, 1631. His body lay in state in the duomo before being buried in front of the altar of the Madonna dell'Albero.
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| The Biblioteca Ambrosiana is a major cultural attraction for visitors to Milan |
The Biblioteca Ambrosiana today houses an extraordinary collection of more than 40,000 manuscripts and a million printed volumes, including works in Greek, Latin, Arabic, Syriac and Ethiopic. Highlights include the Codex Atlanticus, a vast compendium of Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings and notes; the Ambrosian Virgil, a 14th-century copy of Virgil's poems that belonged to Francesco Petrarch and is annotated by the poet himself; the Ilias Picta, an illuminated Iliad from the library of Vincenzo Pinelli, the noted botanist and book collector; and De Divina Proportione, a text on mathematical proportions by Luca Pacioli, featuring 60 scientific illustrations drawn directly by Da Vinci. As well as Federico Borromeo’s own collection, the Pinacoteca also has many other masterpieces of Italian, including works by Botticelli, Titian, Raphael, Bramantino, Luini, Bassano, Hayez, and many others. The galleries also preserve historic copies of famous paintings, commissioned by Borromeo for study - including a 17th‑century replica of Da Vinci’s Last Supper. The Ambrosiana’s history includes episodes of foreign plunder, most notably during the Napoleonic occupation, when many Leonardo manuscripts were seized and taken to Paris. Today, only the Codex Atlanticus remains in Milan; other volumes are held at the Institut de France. The library and gallery are housed within the same building at Piazza Pio XI in central Milan. Opening hours are 10am to 6pm daily except Wednesday, with extended hours until 10pm on Saturday.
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| Casa Manzoni in Milan was the home of Alessandro Manzoni |
A literary visit to Milan might also take in Casa Manzoni, the historic 19th-century townhouse in Via Gerolamo Morone, again in central Milan, not far from the city’s famous fashion district. This is the house where the author of I Promessi Sposi, Alessandro Manzoni, lived and wrote from 1814 until his death in 1873. The house includes a museum and is headquarters for the National Centre for Manzoni Studies. Guided tours are available, enabling visitors to see Manzoni’s study, which is preserved almost entirely intact with his original desk, personal items, and massive private library, as well as his living quarters, featuring period furniture, family portraits, and first editions of his literary works. There is also a courtyard and garden. Normal opening hours are 10pm to 6pm Tuesday to Friday, 2pm to 6pm Saturday, closed on Sunday and Monday. Visitor numbers are controlled, with admission on an hourly basis.
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More reading:
Saint Charles Borromeo, the great reformer who earned appreciation after his death
Giovanni Battista Crespi, the painter, sculptor and architect sponsored by Federico Borromeo
Alessandro Manzoni, the writer credited by some with the greatest novel in Italian literary history
Also on this day:
1497: The birth of lutenist Francesco Canova da Milano
1750: The birth of composer Antonio Salieri
1943: The birth of footballer and politician Gianni Rivera
1954: The birth of astronaut Umberto Guidoni
1985: The birth of model and journalist Beatrice Borromeo
2009: The death of writer and translator Fernanda Pivano
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