The crown of the kings of Italy
The Cathedral of Monza, with its striking façade of white and green marble stripes from the fourteenth century, was founded at the end of the sixth century by Theodelinda, the Catholic queen of the Lombards, who chose Monza as her summer residence and contributed to the conversion of her people. She is buried in the cathedral.
In the chapel of Theodelinda, decorated with a cycle of fifteenth century frescoes by the Zavattari brothers telling the story of the queen in a fairy-tale, courtly Gothic style, is kept the Iron Crown (Corona Ferrea), one of the oldest royal insignia in Europe. It is a circlet of gold plates with gems and enamels, and inside it is a thin band of metal which tradition says was beaten from a nail of the Cross of Christ brought from Jerusalem by St Helena. For a thousand years it was used to crown the kings of Italy, from Charlemagne's successors to Charles V and Napoleon, who in 1805 placed it on his own head saying "God gave it to me, beware whoever touches it". The Museum and Treasury holds the queen's treasures, including a gilded hen with seven chicks.
Tip: the Theodelinda chapel and the crown are visited with a guided tour; book in advance at weekends.
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