JbAC 66 (2023) Seiten: 46-75

Despite its prominence, the tomb of the Milanese bishop Ambrose in Sant’Ambrogio has been the subject of relatively few archaeological studies, which have, however, been remarkably unanimous. The common reconstruction suggests that Ambrose was buried under the altar of the church, in a modest tomb to the left, while the martyrs Gervasius and Protasius were buried in a magnificent tomb found on the right. This belief is primarily based on Ambrose’s Letter 77, where he appears to describe this disposition. When the priests Luigi Biraghi and Francesco Maria Rossi searched for the graves in the 19th century, they did indeed find two tombs under the altar, in apparent confirmation of the letter’s description, along with a porphyry sarcophagus above the tombs into which the bodies were later transferred. This paper tests this reconstruction by reversing traditional means of approaching the disposition of the tomb: instead of starting from the letter and confirming its details, Rossi’s and Biraghi’s reports on the non-preserved findings were thoroughly examined to obtain an unbiased and archaeologically sound basis. Only after this is done, the letter is subjected to critical analysis. This innovative approach produces exciting results: the findings, when freed from the narrative of Ambrose’s letter, do not support the widespread reconstruction of this text. Instead, two practically identical tombs can be reconstructed. Furthermore, further analysis of the letter shows that Ambrose’s account is not to be interpreted in the straightforward way in which it is usually understood. Thus, an alternative reconstruction is proposed: Ambrose buried the two martyrs in the two tombs under the altar and had himself buried in the porphyry sarcophagus in the altar, a position that corresponds with his understanding of his office and his deeds.