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| picture gallery Milan Official Web Site Previously a Roman city by the name of Mediolanum, Milan became a hub of the Christian religion through the 6th century. Despite a period of decline following the invasion of the Lombards in 568, the city once again thrived under Charlemagne in the eighth century and the supremacy of the Ambrosian rite returned the city to the center of religious activities of the Catholic Church. There followed the period of city-states, which came to an end with the Visconti family in power. The period 1277 to 1447 saw the construction both of the Duomo and of the city walls, which were built on the present day Canal ring. Fourteenth century Milan saw the construction of a canal system (the Navigli) as a means to defend the city and for commercial use, and this became a determining factor in the economic importance of the city. In the fifteenth century power passed from the Visconti family to the Sforzas when Francesco Sforza became Duke of Milan. The city lived its greatest splendor during the Renaissance (Rinascimento) when both Leonardo and Bramante worked in Milan, witnessed by the Santa Maria delle Grazie church where Da Vinci painted the Last Supper, and the Maggiore Hospital (now the site of the State University). | |