“Humilitas”: the motto of the Borromeo family greets visitors entering the seminary through the monumental, 17th-century portal designed by the architect Francesco Maria Ricchino. Founded in 1565 by Archbishop Charles Borromeo, the college occupies the site of the suppressed Humiliati monastery of San Giovanni. Originally overseen by Vincenzo Seregni, the project was taken over by Pellegrino Tibaldi in 1577. The large, square courtyard was constructed between 1602 and 1610 by the architects Aurelio Trezzi and Fabio Mangone, and features a two-storey loggia supported by double columns.
