In Piazza San Babila, the church has a column on top of which is a famous lion, erected at the request by the Duchy of Serbelloni in 1656. This is the medieval emblem of the Porta Orientale district and a popular legend - supposedly stolen from the Venetians during a siege. The soldiers hearing noises made by a local baker thought they’d been discovered and abandoned hiding their places. The Milanese, who armed themselves to defend the city, took the standards, weapons and the lion - a copy of the one from St Marks and the Venetian mascot.
