Resources describe saint Gervaso and saint Protaso as twin brothers of the saints Vitale and Valeria, christians and therefore killed. When their parents died they sold all their family belongings to distribute what earned to the poors, and they retired to a life of meditation. After ten years they were found and revealed to the authorities that imprisoned them and brought them in front of Astasio, legionary of the imperial army that was passing by Milan, to be offered as a sacrifice towards the gods. Now news were heard about them until the june of 386 A.D. , year when they were found thanks to the diggings ordered by saint Ambrogio, in the zone of door Vercellina,in Milan. The remains were moved the 18th of june of the same year in the auspicious church for a prayer vigil and the following day in the just finished church of S. Ambrogio, that was consecrated with the deposition of these relics where they rest even to this day.

 The tales of the statue in Dome’s building site:

The statue of Saint Gervaso was made by the sculptor Ambrogio Consonni, realized in the 1950. The saint is representedas a martyr: it’s a “moving statue”, it walks ahead with the martyr palm raised upwards with bravery. The palm is recognized universally as symbol of the sacrifice, but at the same time of victory too, ascension and rebirth. Some scans coming from the photo archive of the Veneranda Fabbrica show an incision at the base of the statue.