Palazzo degli Studi and Church of San Francesco

As acknowledged by local sources, already around 1233, only a few years after St. Francis’ death (1226) and canonization (1228), Friars Minor established themselves in the very heart of Monza, building in the large Pratum Magnum square a convent and a church, more than 60 metres long, dedicated to their founder. The friars were immediately welcomed by the town, therefore the church became a place for illustrious burials, but in 1784 the Order was suppressed and the complex became the seat of a hospital until 1792. In 1818 the church was included in a new Neo-Classical building destined to be a seminary; restoration works brought to light some traces of the Franciscan architecture, still visible on the façade.