Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano)
The Duomo of Milan, dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, was begun in 1386 under Archbishop Antonio da Saluzzo and Duke Gian Galeazzo Visconti. It took almost six centuries to finish; the last bronze doors were set in place only in 1965. It is built of pink-veined white marble from quarries at Candoglia, brought by canal to the city.
It is one of the largest churches in the world, with a forest of 135 spires and some 3,400 statues. From its highest spire the gilded statue of the Madonnina, raised in 1774, watches over the city. For a long time no building in Milan was allowed to rise higher. Visitors can walk across its roof terraces among the pinnacles.
Inside, fifty-two great pillars divide five aisles lit by vast stained-glass windows. Saint Charles Borromeo, the great reforming archbishop of Milan, lies in a crystal coffin in the crypt. A nail venerated as one from the Cross is kept high above the altar.
- Built
- 1386–1965
- Style
- Gothic
- Where
- Milan, Italy
- Map
- Find it on OpenStreetMap