Insignia and logo The organisation's insignia used to bear the scene of the Annunciation and the Latin motto 'ave gratiae plena' ("hail, full of grace"). Later it was simplified to a picture of the dove of the Holy Spirit. The heraldic representation, still the basis of the Foundation's current logo, is closely linked with the Visconti symbol of the flaming, radiant turtle-dove. The
olive branch in the bird's
beak was added later. Until 1825 the Organisation had the duty of assisting children in need, who, considered as 'the hospital's children', took the
surname 'Colombo', meaning 'dove'. The Niguarda, Sesto San Giovanni and San Carlo Borromeo hospitals also obtained insignias or sculptures reminiscent of the dedication.
Banner The hospital has two banners of honour: one large banner, maintained in a museum collection, and a pair of smaller banners for use in ceremonies. The need for a banner to display at ceremonies and funerals of benefactors arose in 1927, and inspiration was taken from the banner of the Municipality of Milan, which has particularly solemn connotations. The front of the banner represents the
Annunciation. On the other side, the
dove is embroidered, surrounded by the heraldic insignias of the hospital's main benefactors:
Sforza,
Macchi, Del Sesto,
Paravicini, Ponti, Secco Comneno, the municipality of Milano, Pio II Piccolomini, Pio IV Medici di Marignano, Pio XI Ratti, Cardinals
Saint Carlo Borromeo e Schuster, and the
Order of the Holy Sepulchre. The project and its realisation were the responsibility of the Milanese architect
Giò Ponti, who intended to add value to the banner using both materials and techniques. The metallic parts of the banner were created by the Ravasco firm, and Alfredo Ravasco, the company director, wanted to donate precious stones. Meanwhile, the Bartelli firm had completed the gold and silver embroidery on pure silk. The banner was inaugurated by Cardinal Ildefonso Schuster on 24 March 1935 (the first day of the Festival of Forgiveness) during a solemn function held in
Milan's Duomo. In 1938 a copy was made, in order to be able to transport it with ease with just two poles. The original was moved to a collection in 1942 and decorated with crystals by the Silvestri firm.
Book of Elena At the beginning of the 19th century, the Milanese Carlo Ingnazio Busca brought a
mummy in a
sarcophagus and a papyrus to Milan. Today, the mummy can be found at
Sforza Castle, while the papyrus is housed in the Historical Archive of the General Hospital. It is not open to public viewing, but is reproduced digitally with
infra-red reflectography thanks to an agreement with the
University of Milan's Interdepartmental Centre of Infrared and Diagnostic Reflectography of Cultural Heritage, run by Professor Duilio Bertani. The ancient Egyptian papyrus is called
Libro per uscire dal giorno ("Book to leave the day") and reproduces the famous
Book of the Dead, a series of formulae aimed to facilitate the soul on its last journey beyond the western horizon toward the afterlife. The scroll, almost seven metres long, was produced in
Thebes for the scribe and designer Pthamose at the beginning of the
nineteenth dynasty of Egypt (1305–1200 BC). It shows a complete text, full of drawings, and it mentions a series of formulae to activate several amulets, which is rare in similar papyri. The heirs of the mummy had to decide what to do with this
souvenir, and, taking advice from Dr. Pessani of the Ciceri-Agnesi Fatebenesorelle Hospital, they were persuaded to donate it to the institute's pharmacy (the mummy was in fact, at the time, considered to be a pharmacological remedy). The mummy then became part of the Civic Archaeological and Numismatic Collections at
Sforza Castle. == Departments ==