DUOMO DI MILANO, MILAN

The Duomo di Milano is one of the most famous buildings in Europe. It is a particularly large and elaborate Gothic Cathedral (Duomo ) on the main square in the center of the city of Milan, Italy. Milan's Duomo is the second largest Roman Catholic cathedral: only the cathedral of Seville is larger (as is Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, which is not a cathedral).

It is 157 meters long and a total of 40,000 people can fit comfortably within. The great windows of the choir were reputed to be the largest in the world.

HISTORY OF THE DUOMO DI MILANO

The street plan of Milan, with streets either radiating from the Duomo or circling it, reveals that the Duomo occupies the most important site in Roman Mediolanum. Saint Ambrose's 'New Basilica' was built on this site at the beginning of the 5th century, with an adjoining basilica added in 836. When fire damaged both buildings in 1075, they were rebuilt as the Duomo.

In 1386 the archbishop, Antonio da Saluzzo, began the new project, in a rayonnant Late Gothic style that is more characteristic of France than Italy. The beginning of the construction was related to Gian Galeazzo Visconti's accession to power in Milan, as a form of reward to the noble and working classes which had been suppressed by his tyrannic predecessor Barnabò. To start the works, three main buildings were demolished: the place of the Archbishopric, the Ordinari Palace and the Baptistry of St. Stephen at the Spring, and the old church of St. Maria Maggiore was to be exploited in the years.

Enthusiasm for the new, immense building spread soon among the populations and the shrewd Gian Galeazzo, as well as his cousin, archbishop Antonio da Saluzzo, managed to collect large donations as contributes for the working. the contruction program was stricly regulated under the "Fabbrica del Duomo": this had an organic of 300 deputies, the first chief engineer being Simone da Orsenigo. Galeazzo gave the Fabbrica exclusive use of the marbles from the Candoglia quarry and freedom from bills.

In 1389 a French chief engineer was named, Nicolas de Bonaventure, who gave the church a strong Gothic imprint. Ten years later another Frenchman, Jean Mignot from Pairs was called to judge and improve the works, as they had was to approach the tiburio and technical aid was needed to lift stones at that unprecented height. Mignot declared all the work donate until now as in pericolo di ruina ("peril of crumble down"), as done sine scienzia ("without science").

In the following years Mignot's forecasts proved untrue, but anyway they spurred Galeazzo's engineers to improve their instruments and techniques. Works had proceeded fast and, at the death of Gian Galeazzo in 1402, almost half of the work had been completed. Construction, however, languished almost totally until 1480, due to lack of money and ideas: the most notable works of this period were the sepulchres of Marco Carelli and Pope Martin V (1424) and the windows of the apse (1470s). Among the latter, are still visible today those portraying St. John the Evangelist, by Cristoforo de' Mottis, and Saint Eligius and San John of Damascus, by Niccolò da Varallo. In 1452, under Francesco Sforza, the nave and the aisles were completed up to the sixth spans.

In 1490, under Lodovico Sforza, an octagonal base was chosen for the cupola. This was completed in ten years and decorated in the interior with four series of fifteen statues each, portraying saints, prophets, sibyls and other characters of the Old Testament. the external remained long without any decoration, with the exception of the so-called Guglietto dell'Amadeo ("Amadeo's Little Spire"), from 1507-1510. This is a Renaissance masterwork which howover didn not forget to harmonize with the general Gothic appearance of the on-going church.

Under the subsequent Spanish domination, the new church was practicable, but largely unfinished in the interior, and the transepts were missing. In 1552 Giacomo Antegnati was commissioned a large organ, which was to placed in the northern choir, and Giuseppe Meda provided four of the sixteen pales which had to decorate the altar area (the progrm was completed by Federico Borromeo). In 1562 the Marco d'Agrate's St. Bartholomew and famous Trivulzio candelabrum (12th century) were added.

The accession of the ambitious Carlo Borromeo to the bishop throne meant the elimination of all lay monuments from the church. These included the tombs of Giovanni, Barnabò and Filippo Maria Visconti, Francesco Sforza and his wife Bianca, Galeazzo Maria Sforza and Lodovico, which were brought to unknown destinations. Borromeo's main intervention was however the nomination of Pellegrino Pellegrini as chief engineer, which raised several disputes as this needed the revision of the Fabbrica's statutes, being Pellegrino not a lay.

Borromeo and Pellegrino desired a new appearance for the Cathedral, a Renaissance one which could assert a Roman nature for it, instead of the foreign one, as it was considered the Gothic style. As the façade was largely incomplete, Pellegrini designed a "Roman" style one, with columns, obelisk and a large tympanum. This, however, remained unapplied, though the interior decoration continued: in 1575-1585 the presbitery was rebuilt, while new altars and the baptistry were added in the nave. A wooden choir was constructed for the main altar by Francesco Brambilla, a work completed in 1614.

In 1577 Borromeo finally consecrated the whole edifice as a new, distint church from the old Santa Maria Maggiore and Santa Tecla (which had been unified in 1549 after heavy disputes).

At the beginning of the 17th century Federico Borromeo had the foundings of the new façade laid by Francesco Maria Richini and Fabio Mangone. Works continued until 1638 with the construction of five portals and two middle windows. In 1649, however, the new chief architect Carlo Buzzi introduced a striking revolution: the façade was to be reverted to original Gothic style, including the already finished particulars within big Gothic pilasters and two giant belfries. Other projects were provided, among the others, by Filippo Juvarra (1733) and Luigi Vanvitelli (1745), but all remained unapplied and the façade .

In 1682 the façade of Santa Maria Maggiore was demolished and the cathedral's roof covering completed.

In 1762 one of the main features of the cathedral, the Madonnina's spire, was erected at the dizzy height of 108.5 m. It was designed by Francesco Croce and at the top, according to very original status of the Cathedral, has a famous polychrome statue of the Madonna.

On May 20, 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte ordered the façade to be finished. He was going to be crowned as King of Italy and his enthusiasm went on by assuring that expenses were to be fulfilled through the French treasure, in the form of reimbourse to the Fabbrica which in the meantime had to sell all its real estates. The reimbourse was never paid, though this meant that finally, within only seven years, the Cathedral had its façade completed. the new architect, Francesco Soave, followed largely Buzzi's project, adding some neo-Gothic details to the upper windows. As a form of thanksgiving, a statue of Napoleon was placed at the top of one of spires.

In the following years the great part of the missing arches and spires was constructed. The statues on the southern wall were also finished, while in 1829-1858 new decorated windows replaced the worn out ones, though with less significant results. The last details of the cathedral were finished only in the 20th century: the last gate was inaugurated on January 6, 1965. This date is considered the very end of a process which had proceeded for generations, although even now some uncarved blocks remain to be completed as statuary.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE DUOMO DI MILANO

The roof is open to tourists (for a fee), which allows many a close up view of some really spectacular sculpture that would otherwise be unappreciated by mortal man.

The cathedral's five wide naves, divided by 40 pillars, are reflected in the hierarchic openings of the facade. Even the transepts have aisles. The roofline dissolves into openwork pinnacles that are punctuated by a grove of spires. The huge building is of brick construction, faced with marble from the quarries which Gian Galeazzo Visconti donated in perpetuity to the cathedral chapter. Its maintenance and repairs are very complicated.

Main monuments and sights: The interior of the cathedral includes a huge quantity of monuments and artworks. These include:

• The Archbishop Alberto da Intimiano's sarcophagus, which is overlooked by a Crucifix in copper laminae.

• The sarcophagi of the archbishops Ottone Visconti and Giovanni Visconti, created by a Campionese master in the 14th century.

• The sarcophagus of Marco Carelli, who donated 35,000 ducati to accelerate the construction of the Cathedral.

• The three magnificent altars by Pellegrino Pellegrini, which include the notable Federico Zuccari's Visit of St. Peter to St. Agatha jailed.

• In the right transept, the monument to Gian Giacomo Medici, called Medeghino, by Leone Leoni, and the adjacent Renaissance marble altar, decorated with gilded copper statues.

• In front of the former mausoleum is the most renowned artwork of the Cathedral, the St. Bartholomew statue by Marco D'Agrate.

• The presbitery is a late Renaissance masterpiece composed by a choir, a Temple by Pellegrini, two pulpits with giant telamones covered in copper and bronze, and two large organs. Around the choir the two sacristies portals, some frescoes and a Martin V statue (15th century, by Jacopino da Tradate) can be seen.

• The transepts house the Trivulzio Candelabrum, which is in two pieces. The base (attributed to Nicolas of Verdun, 12th century), charcterized by a fantastic ensemble of vines, vegetables and imaginary animals; and the stalk, of the mid-16th century.

• In the left aisle, the Arcimboldi monument by Alessi and Romanesque figures depicting the Apostles in red marble and the neo-Classic baptistry by Pellegrini.

• A small red light bulb in the dome above the apse marks the spot where one of the nails from the Crucifixion of Christ has been placed.

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