This parish was founded in 1628 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo. The church itself was rebuilt several times and exists, along with the Romanesque bell tower, since 1000 A.D. Indeed, the Baggio family, owners of most of the property on which the church was built, posed firm opposition to the founding of a parish here. Of note, the neighboring convent of Santa Maria di Baggio (what is today the Cascina Monastero), built from 1400 to 1773 by Olivetan monks, who played a great role in the religious education of the locals. The most recent reconstruction of today’s Old Church, which was re-consecrated in 1875, was due to a fire in 1870 that led to the complete demolition of the church. By 1923 the parish of Baggio counted 7500 members and was incorporated into the city of Milano. This made the construction of a larger church necessary, and the new church of Sant’Apollinare would be consecrated in 1942 by Cardinal Schuster.