Aquilino was born in Germany to a noble family. Since he was a child he lived in the name of faith, also involving his peers; he then studied in Cologne where he was ordained a priest. He was subsequently chosen as bishop of his hometown, but he refused the position and fled to France, where the same situation occurred again. He then arrived in Ticinium, Pavia as of today, and from there he passed to Milan, so as to be able to venerate the relics of Saint Ambrose. One day, while he was going to pray near the relics, he was attacked and killed by some heretics, this took place around 1015 and 1018.

Tales of the statue in Dome’s building site:

The Sant’Aquilino on the G66 spire is a reproduction of the original statue, the latter created by Antonio Rusca during the 19th century. The statue represents a bearded saint, dressed in a robe that falls from his left shoulder along his entire body. He is depicted with his hands clasped in prayer while he turns his head upwards, as if wanting to communicate with the sky. An identical copy of this statue is located inside the Cathedral, on pylon P43.