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The site for the monument was chosen because of the findings of old Christian martyr tombs here.The monument is the result of a joint undertaking in which the elements of the Roman-Hellenistic classicism satisfy the requirement for monumentality popular in those years. Ponti would criticize this monumentarguing it does not respect the church nearby, where simplicity, proportion and materials make up a harmonious composition, while the monument, awkward because of its size and materials, stands out as unnatural in an environment that is almost unable to contain it.
The monument was wanted by Benito Mussolini and it displays the classical centrally-planned architectural structure, although the octagonal shape clearly refers to the baptismal font of the Saint Ambrose church. Symbolically, the sides refer to the eight gates to the city: Ticinese, Tosa, Comasina, Orientale, Nuova, Vercellina, Giovia, Romana.
The monument is 43 meters high and has a diameter of 18 meters. 
The octagonal tower is formed by a seven meter high railing, while the bottom part clearly intends to copy some of the typical features of the nearby and unfinished Bramante cloister.
The memorial is embellished with sculptures and decorations: the bronze statue of Saint Ambrose by Adolfo Wildt; the Three patron saints of the arms by Franco Lombardi; the Six Cities Reunited With the Mother Country by Antonio Maiocchi; the Conspiracy between Loyalty and the Roman Tradition by Zamboni.
The bas-reliefs decorating the monument seem to echo the style of the figurative works of the old church.
On the inferior floor, the walls of the crypt bear the names of the people missing in war. Nearby is an octagonal-planned ossuary with the names of the people who fell in war designed by Mario Baccini in 1973.
Inside, a spiral staircase winds around the central column, which is supported, in turn, by pillars: it climbs up to the last but one floor. The top level is accessed by two entrances on either side of the building.
The expiatory chapel, on the top floor, gets its light from four windows and two closed rooms outside the concentric structure.
How to get there: Public transportation: MM2 Sant'Agostino station; Overground lines: 58 - 94 - 50
Modern architecture in the surrounding areas: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore; Piazzale Cadorna
Sources: Maria Antonietta Crippa, Carlo Capponi (a cura di ), Gio Ponti e l'architettura sacra. Finestre aperte sulla natura, sul mistero, su Dio, Silvana Editoriale, Milano 2005
Oscar Pedro Melano, Milano e l'Eclettico Déco 1900-1950, Mazzotta, Milano 2004
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