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The name "Brera" comes from "braida", a Longobard word in use in the Middle Ages, phonetically transformed into Brera. The origin of the word is uncertain: in the language of the Lombards, it probably would mean “cultivated field”. It is believed that its meaning would also come from praedium, meaning “a field outside a human settlement”: "Campus vel ager suburbanus ubi Breda vulgo appellantur…".
The story of Brera begins with the war. In the 21st century, during the conflicts between Henry II, Emperor of Saxony, and Arduin of Ivrea, King of Italy, some Milan’s devoted prisoners vowed they would build a church and base a new Order serving the needy once returned safe in homeland. The place they chose was a land called “Borgo della Brera del Guercio”, owned by an important notable; an immense ground near the city walls and close to one of the gates to the town –Beatrice d' Este’s Gate.
In 1171 the first building, the house of Humiliati Order, was built:. This group of people believed in a simple model of life, without lies, fights and oaths.
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