Martinitt

Martinitt is the historic Milanese name for a boys' orphanage established in the sixteenth century and now incorporated into the broader public social-care institution Pio Albergo Trivulzio. The name derives from Saint Martin, because the institution originally occupied an oratory dedicated to him in central Milan. In Lombard usage, Martinitt means approximately “little Martins”; the term came to identify both the institution and the boys who lived there. Its female counterpart was known as the Stelline orphanage. The institution is associated with Gerolamo Emiliani, a religious and social reformer who had previously founded an orphanage for poor children in Venice. In 1528, Francesco II Sforza, Duke of Milan, assigned Emiliani the Saint Martin oratory on what is now Via Manzoni for use as an orphanage. The institution subsequently became part of Milan's changing system of charitable and social assistance. In the eighteenth century, Cardinal Federico Borromeo provided another building, the Spedale dei Mendicanti, for orphan girls, creating the historical institutional distinction between the Martinitt and the Stelline. A major reorganization took place in 1776, when Empress Maria Theresa moved the boys' orphanage to Gessate, east of Milan. The institution also adopted a more structured educational model: children were generally housed until the age of eighteen and taught a trade intended to support their transition into adult working life. This vocational emphasis was an important part of the orphanage's social function, linking care with practical training. The political upheavals of the late eighteenth century disrupted the institution. After Napoleon Bonaparte's conquest of Milan in 1796, the orphanage's premises were converted into a military hospital. The Martinitt were moved through several temporary locations, including buildings in Brera and a former convent, before returning to the original Via Manzoni site in 1803. The Martinitt became especially prominent during the Five Days of Milan in March 1848, when Milanese residents rebelled against Austrian rule. The boys served as couriers, carrying messages between barricades and helping communications move through the insurgent city. This episode gave the Martinitt a lasting place in Milanese civic and Risorgimento memory. A new facility was established in 1932 on Via Pitteri near Lambrate. In the modern period, the Martinitt and Stelline traditions were absorbed into Pio Albergo Trivulzio, a public Milanese institution serving orphans, older people, and others experiencing social hardship. A museum devoted to the history of the Martinitt and Stelline was opened in 2009 in Corso Magenta, in a building adjoining the historic Stelline complex. The name therefore survives primarily as a historical, cultural, and social-care identity rather than as a commercial consumer brand.

The Martinitt originated in Milan during the sixteenth century as a boys' orphanage connected with the charitable work of Gerolamo Emiliani. Emiliani had already established an orphanage for poor children in Venice. In 1528, Francesco II Sforza, Duke of Milan, transferred the oratory of Saint Martin in central Milan to Emiliani for use as an orphanage. The location, now associated with Via Manzoni, gave rise to the institution's name. The boys became known in Lombard as the Martinitt, a diminutive plural derived from the name Martin; the girls cared for by the related institution were called the Stelline. The institutions developed within Milan's broader charitable and religious welfare system. Federico Borromeo later assigned the Spedale dei Mendicanti, or “beggars' hospital,” to the care of orphan girls. This created a historical pairing between the Martinitt boys' orphanage and the Stelline girls' orphanage, although they remained distinct institutions for much of their history. In 1776, Maria Theresa ordered the Martinitt moved to Gessate, east of Milan. The relocation coincided with a clearer institutional policy: children were to remain in care until approximately eighteen years of age and receive instruction in a trade. The orphanage consequently functioned not only as a place of shelter but also as a form of vocational preparation, intended to give residents a means of supporting themselves after leaving. The French conquest of Milan in 1796 brought another interruption. Napoleon converted the orphanage's premises into a military hospital. The Martinitt were moved first to buildings in Brera and later to a former convent. In 1803 they returned to their original location on Via Manzoni. These repeated moves reflected the vulnerability of charitable institutions to military occupation and state reorganization. The Martinitt's most celebrated public role came during the Five Days of Milan in 1848. During the uprising against Austrian rule, the orphan boys carried dispatches between barricades. Their mobility and familiarity with the city enabled them to act as couriers when ordinary communications were difficult or dangerous. The episode became central to the institution's civic mythology and to Milanese accounts of the Risorgimento. In 1932, a new Martinitt site was established on Via Pitteri near Lambrate. In later decades, the Martinitt and Stelline were integrated into Pio Albergo Trivulzio, a public Milanese social-care body whose remit extended beyond orphan care to include assistance for older people and others facing social difficulties. The historic identity was preserved through cultural and archival work. In 2009, a museum dedicated to the Martinitt and Stelline opened in Corso Magenta 57, in a building beside the former Stelline complex. The museum and related historical associations maintain the memory of the children, their education, and their role in Milan's social and political history. Among people associated with the Martinitt as former residents are Angelo Rizzoli, Leonardo Del Vecchio, and Edoardo Bianchi, all of whom later became notable Italian entrepreneurs.

• 2009

  Opening of the Martinitt and Stelline museum

  [1]Martinitten.wikipedia.org

  A museum dedicated to the history of the Martinitt and Stelline opened on Corso Magenta in Milan.

• 1932

  New site near Lambrate

  [1]Martinitten.wikipedia.org

  A new Martinitt facility was established on Via Pitteri near Milan's Lambrate district.

• 1848

  Participation in the Five Days of Milan

  [1]Martinitten.wikipedia.org

  Martinitt boys carried messages between barricades during Milan's uprising against Austrian rule.

• 1803

  Return to Via Manzoni

  [1]Martinitten.wikipedia.org

  After temporary placements in Brera and a former convent, the Martinitt returned to their original Milan site.

• 1796

  Premises converted into a military hospital

  [1]Martinitten.wikipedia.org

  Following Napoleon's conquest of Milan, the orphanage building was converted into a military hospital and the Martinitt were relocated.

• 1776

  Relocation to Gessate and vocational education

  [1]Martinitten.wikipedia.org

  The orphanage moved to Gessate, and residents were generally kept until age eighteen while being taught a trade.

• 1528

  Saint Martin oratory assigned for orphan care

  [1]Martinitten.wikipedia.org

  Francesco II Sforza transferred the Saint Martin oratory in central Milan to Gerolamo Emiliani for use as a boys' orphanage.

A historic Milanese charitable and social-care institution associated with child welfare, vocational education, civic service, and the city's Risorgimento heritage.

1. 1Martinitten.wikipedia.org