History and architecture
The construction of the Milan Cathedral began in 1386 and ended almost 500 years later near the end of 1800.
It was commissioned by Milan's duke Gian Galeazzo Visconti and it was created in white marble thanks to the Condoglia caves donated to the Cathedral Factory that still today takes care of the Milanese monument.
This beautiful building was built on sacred ground for catholics, where there was once the San Ambrogio and Santa Tecla churches, burned together in 1075
For his creation were called French and German architects but also Italian engineers that, in different ages, imagined a building of three naves and square side chapels, but then they changed idea and created only five naves without chapels.
in 1389, Nicolas de Bonaventure decided to employ the Gothic style for the exterior of the cathedral created with a layer of pink marble.
After WW2, in 1943, the facade of the cathedral showed many signs of devastation, the pillars and minor doors were almost totally destroyed. The southern side suffered the greatest damage and was hit in its entire length in the base area, also on its top there was a visible lack of statue of various spires. In the apse area, the three large windows were damaged due to the fall of some statues.
It was then restored by the Cathedral Factory.
In 1774, the sculptor Giuseppe Perego sculpted a golden copper statue, which will be called "Madonnina", positioned on the cathedral's top.
This statue will become one of the symbols of Milan.
Extraordinary and incredibly scenographic is the statuary apparatus of the church, of which the Madonnina is the queen (3,400 statues with a total weight of 325 thousand tons), acclaimed for its variety and also for its strangeness.
There's even a statue that seems to be the original inspiration for Statue of Liberty
Despite the large size, the interior of the Milan Cathedral is incredibly welcoming. The beautiful stained glass windows representing scenes from the Bible and the Gospel reflect the light on the church floor. Currently it is possible to go up the marble staircase to the Treasury of the Cathedral to see and appreciate the early Christian and Romanesque objects found here. It is also possible to climb to the roof of the cathedral to admire a spectacular view of the city.
Today the cathedral continues to perform its function; moreover, it is the seat of the archbishopric of Milan and religious services are regularly held inside.
Milan vs the world
The Milan Cathedral the third largest Catholic cathedral in the world. it is 157 meters long, 11,700 sq. m and has a capacity of over 40,000 people.
It is nearly surpassed in size by the Beauvais Cathedral in Paris with its 48 meters of height.