The Textile Relics in Sant’Ambrogio, Milan: Interweaving Craft, Cult and Politics

Fragments of late antique silk textiles are often preserved as wrappings for relics, yet only rarely do original fabrics survive as relics in their own right. The Church of Sant'Ambrogio in Milan preserves an exceptional example: the remains of a silk garment venerated since the fifth or sixth century as the dalmatic of Saint Ambrose, the renowned bishop and church father. Together with a second, slightly later dalmatic, the textile has been repeatedly reinforced and protected over the centuries, creating a remarkable assemblage of fifteen historic fabrics that document more than eight centuries of devotion. This volume presents the results of a major interdisciplinary conservation and research project devoted to this extraordinary “textile archive.” Bringing together specialists in archaeology, art history, church history, Islamic studies, chemistry and digital heritage technologies, including advanced 3D laser scanning, the study examines the preservation, reconstruction and historical significance of the textiles. Through the analysis of these unique relics, the volume offers new perspectives on textile production, relic veneration, conservation practices and the material culture of Christianity from Late Antiquity through the medieval period.