Saint Galdinus

Galdinus della Sala was born in Milan around 1096 to a noble family. He served the archbishops of Milan as chancellor and archdeacon during the bitter conflict between Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and Pope Alexander III. When Barbarossa besieged and destroyed Milan in 1162, Galdinus went into exile with the archbishop.

In 1165 Pope Alexander made him a cardinal and, the following year, archbishop of Milan and papal legate. Returning to his ruined city, he helped rebuild it physically and spiritually, supported the Lombard League that resisted the emperor, and strengthened the faith of the people against the Cathar heresy. He was devoted to the poor and to prisoners, especially those jailed for debt, whom he visited and helped. On April 18, 1176, after celebrating Mass and preaching forcefully in the church of Santa Tecla, he collapsed and died. He is buried in Milan Cathedral.

Galdinus is one of the patrons of Milan and is honored in its cathedral, where his tomb is venerated. The Milanese remember him as a father of the city who helped it rise from its ruins.