La colonna di san Protaso dalla piazza del Castello al Museo di Sant’Ambrogio

Until the late eighteenth century on the plaza of the Sforza Castle in Milan a small column could be seen. Probably a late-fourtheenth artifact, this column was said to mark the location where saint Protasius, one of the patrons of Milan, had been martyred. Apart from reconstructing the history of Protasius' monument, this article discusses the use of columns as markers in medieval Italian cities. These columns were erected in order to help people remember an event, be it positive or negative (colonne infamanti), and were standing in the exact location where said event had happened. Plus, in order to perform their task, such columns were always accompanied by an inscription. For a better understanding of the Milanese case, however, a further motive will be discussed. Columns also had funerary connotations. In Milan this connection was enhanced by carving a Man of Sorrows relief, an imagery often found on tombs, on Prothasius' column. Starting from the Milanese column, my article will thus explore a little-known practice, discussing how it was both long-living, as columns were erected until well into the seventeenth century, and far-reaching, as such columns were not an Italian-only phenomena.