The Martinitt orphanage was founded by
Gerolamo Emiliani, who had previously created an orphanage for the poor in
Venice. In 1528, Duke
Francesco II Sforza of Milan decided to transfer to Emiliani the oratory of Saint Martin, located in the very centre of Milan (now Via Manzoni), to be used as Milan's orphanage.
Federico Borromeo later decided to give out another building, the "Spedale dei Mendicanti" ("beggars' hospital"), which was used for orphan girls. The orphan boys were called
Martinitt, while the orphan girls were called
Stelline. In 1776, Empress
Maria Theresa moved the orphanage to
Gessate, east of Milan. At the same time, it was decided that the orphans would be housed in the orphanage until the age of 18, and that they would be taught a job. In 1796, when
Napoleone Bonaparte conquered Milan, he transformed the orphanage in a military hospital. The Martinitt then moved again, first in some buildings in
Brera, then in an abandoned convent, and finally (1803) back to their original seat in Via Manzoni. In 1848, during the
Five Days of Milan (when the Milanese population rebelled against the Austrian rule), the Martinitt contributed to the success of the Milanese serving as couriers, bringing dispatches from barricade to barricade. In 1932, a new seat for the Martinitt was established by
Benito Mussolini in Via Pitteri, near
Lambrate. Today, the Martinitt (and the Stelline orphanage for girls) have merged into a wider social care institution called
Pio Albergo Trivulzio. A museum dedicated to the history of the Martinitt and the Stelline has been established in 2009 in Corso Magenta 57, in the building next to the "Stelline Palace" (the original seat of the Stelline orphanage). ==Notable
Martinitt orphans==