When you are leaving the Saint Ambrose Church in Milan, you can see a white marble column that looks like it has seen better days. There are even two prominent holes at its base, and they are the reason why its name is the Devil’s Column.
This Corinthian column dates back to the end of the II century, and it was transported to the Piazza Sant’Ambrogio from a different location. It was constructed in ancient times in marble, and it got its name from a legendary battle between the Devil and Saint Ambrose.
Since we like exploring unusual places on our trips, we had to spend some time looking for the Devil’s Column in Milano.
We found this legendary marble column while looking for a delightful walking path between Cadorna, the train station we arrived in Milano, and Porta Ticinese, the area where our hotel was. But we didn’t know the this was just a single column in the middle of a square. Either way, it was worth our walk there.
As we mentioned before, this column got its name from a legendary battle between the Devil and Saint Ambrose, who defended himself by pushing the Devil against the column behind him. This way, the Devil’s horn got stuck in the marble and made two holes in the column.
And, today, you can still see the mark of the devil in there.
The legend goes on to say that the column was a way of communication between us and hell and that you can smell sulfur coming out of the two holes left by the Devil’s horns. I have to say that I tried this myself, and there is no smell of sulfur there.
Also, I read around that you should place your ear against the marble column to listen to messages from hell, but… Again, this wasn’t the case here. I could only hear the cars going by. Maybe this is how hell sounds like, but I’m not sure.
If you want to visit the Devil’s Column in Milano, you can check the map below for its precise location in the Piazza Sant’Ambrogio. The closest subway station is the Sant’Ambrogio in the Green Line.
The Devil’s Column in Piazza Sant’Ambrogio
Piazza Sant’Ambrogio, 1,
Milano – Italy
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