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Milan Cathedral

Duomo di Milano from the Square.

Basic information
Location Milan, Italy
Geographic coordinates 45°27′51″N, 9°11′29″E
Religious affiliation Roman Catholic
Architectural description
Groundbreaking 1386
Year completed 1965
Specifications
Capacity 40,000
Length 157 metres (515 ft)
Width 92 metres (302 ft)
Width (nave) 16. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. The following is a list of Religions and spiritual traditions, however it excludes modern religions which can be found in List of new religious movements. In Romanesque and Gothic Christian Abbey, Cathedral Basilica and church Architecture, the nave is the 75 metres (55 ft)
Height (max) 45 metres (148 ft)
Dome height (outer) 65. 5 metres (215 ft)
Spire height 106. 5 metres (349 ft)
Materials Brick with Candoglia marble
The Duomo di Milano in 1856.
The Duomo di Milano in 1856. For other kinds of building materials see Hardware, Biology, Star formation. Mergozzo is a Comune (municipality in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 120 km northeast Year 1856 ( MDCCCLVI) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year
Interior view of the Duomo di Milano.
Interior view of the Duomo di Milano.
Plate celebrating the laying of the first stone in 1386.
Plate celebrating the laying of the first stone in 1386.

Milan Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Milano; Milanese: Domm de Milan) is the cathedral church of Milan in Lombardy, northern Italy. Milanese ( milanes, milanées, meneghin, meneghìn) is the central variety of Western Lombard language spoken in the This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral Milan (Milano Milan (listen) is one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. Lombardy (Lombardia Latin: Langobardia, Western Lombard: Lumbardìa, Eastern Lombard: Lombardia) is one of the Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest It is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, currently Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi. Dionigi Tettamanzi (born 14 March 1934) is an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.

The cathedral is significant in the promulgation of the Christian faith, for its role in the establishment of Catholic traditions of worship, its outstanding musical heritage and the splendour of its Gothic architecture.

Built from the late 14th well into the 19th century (and in a sense, never completed as work continues), the Duomo di Milano is one of the world's largest churches, being second in size within Italy only to Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, and being the second largest Gothic cathedral in the world, after the Cathedral of Seville in Spain. The Basilica of Saint Peter (Basilica Sancti Petri officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St See also Gothic art Gothic architecture is a style of Architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. The Cathedral of Seville, also known as Catedral de Santa María de la Sede (Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See) is the Cathedral of the city of Seville

The interior height of its central nave is surpassed only by the choir of the incomplete Beauvais Cathedral in France.

Contents

History

The plan of Milan, with streets either radiating from the Duomo or circling it, reveals the Duomo occupies the most center site in Roman Mediolanum, that of the public basilica facing the forum. The Latin word basilica (derived from Greek, Basiliké Stoà, Royal Stoa) was originally used to describe a Roman The Forum was the public space in the middle of a Roman city It had a great social importance and was often the scene of diverse activities including political discussions Saint Ambrose's 'New Basilica' was built on this site at the beginning of the 5th century, with an adjoining basilica added in 836. Saint Ambrose (c 338 &ndash 4 April 397) was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the fourth century The 5th century is the period from 401 to 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in Anno Domini / Common Era. Events By Place Asia Abbasid caliph Al-Mutasim establishes a new capital at Samarra, Iraq. When fire damaged both buildings in 1075, they were rebuilt as the Duomo.

The beginning

In 1386 the archbishop, Antonio da Saluzzo, began construction in a rayonnant Late Gothic style more typically French than Italian. Saluzzo is a town and former principality in the Province of Cuneo, Piedmont region Italy. Construction coincided with the accession to power in Milan of the archbishop's cousin Gian Galeazzo Visconti, and was meant as a reward to the noble and working classes which had been suppressed by his tyrannical Visconti predecessor Barnabò. Gian Galeazzo Visconti (November 1351 – September 3, 1402) son of Galeazzo II Visconti and Bianca di Savoia, was the first Duke of Milan Bernabò Visconti, also called Barnabò (1319 &ndash 19 December 1385) was an Italian soldier and statesman Lord of Milan in the 14th century Before actual work began, three main buildings were demolished: the palace of the Archbishop, the Ordinari Palace and the Baptistry of 'St. Stephen at the Spring', while the old church of Sta. Maria Maggiore was exploited as a stone quarry. Enthusiasm for the immense new building soon spread among the population, and the shrewd Gian Galeazzo, together with his cousin the archbishop, collected large donations for the work-in-progress. The construction program was strictly regulated under the "Fabbrica del Duomo", which had 300 employees led by first chief engineer Simone da Orsenigo. Simone da Orsenigo was an Italian architect and builder of the 14th century Galeazzo gave the Fabbrica exclusive use of the marble from the Candoglia quarry and exempted it from taxes. Mergozzo is a Comune (municipality in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 120 km northeast

In 1389 a French chief engineer, Nicolas de Bonaventure, was appointed, adding to the church its strong Gothic imprint. Legal residents and citizens To be French according to the first article of the Constitution is to be a citizen of France regardless of one's origin race or religion ( Ten years later another French architect, Jean Mignot, was called from Paris to judge and improve upon the work done, as the masons needed new technical aid to lift stones to an unprecedented height. Mignot declared all the work done up till then as in pericolo di ruina ("peril of ruin"), as it had been 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. Work proceeded quickly, and at the death of Gian Galeazzo in 1402, almost half the cathedral was complete. Construction, however, stalled almost totally until 1480, due to lack of money and ideas: the most notable works of this period were the tombs of Marco Carelli and Pope Martin V (1424) and the windows of the apse (1470s), of which those extant portray St. Pope Martin V (c 1368 &ndash February 20, 1431) born Odo (or John the Evangelist, by Cristoforo de' Mottis, and Saint Eligius and San John of Damascus, both by Niccolò da Varallo. In 1452, under Francesco Sforza, the nave and the aisles were completed up to the sixth bay. Francesco I Sforza ( July 23, 1401 - March 8, 1466) was an Italian Condottiero, the founder of the Sforza dynasty in

In 1500-1510, under Lodovico Sforza, the octagonal cupola was completed, and decorated in the interior with four series of fifteen statues each, portraying saints, prophets, sibyls and other characters of the Bible. Ludovico Sforza Duke of Milan ( Ludovico il Moro, "The Moor" July 27, 1452 &ndash May 27, 1508) a member Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin The exterior long remained without any decoration, except for the Guglietto dell'Amadeo ("Amadeo's Little Spire"), constructed 1507-1510. This is a Renaissance masterwork which nevertheless harmonized well with the general Gothic appearance of the church. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere

The famous "Madunina" atop the main spire of the cathedral, a baroque gilded bronze artwork.
The famous "Madunina" atop the main spire of the cathedral, a baroque gilded bronze artwork.

During the subsequent Spanish domination, the new church proved usable, even though the interior remained largely unfinished, and some bays of the nave and the transepts were still missing. In 1552 Giacomo Antegnati was commissioned to build a large organ for the north side of the choir, and Giuseppe Meda provided four of the sixteen pales which were to decorate the altar area (the program was completed by Federico Borromeo). Giuseppe Meda (c 1534 - 1599 was an Italian painter architect and hydraulics engineer Federico Borromeo ( August 18, 1564 – September 22, 1631) was an Italian Ecclesiastic, cardinal and archbishop of Milan In 1562 Marco d' Lopez's St. Bartholomew and the famous Trivulzio candelabrum (12th century) were added. Gian Giacomo Trivulzio (1440 or 1441 &ndash December 5 1518) was an Italian aristocrat of the Duchy of Milan who held several military

Carlo Borromeo

After the accession of the ambitious Carlo Borromeo to the archbishop's throne, all lay monuments were removed from the Duomo. Saint Charles Borromeo (Carlo Borromeo Latinized as Carolus Borromeus) ( October 2 1538 – November 3 1584) is an These included the tombs of Giovanni, Barnabò and Filippo Maria Visconti, Francesco and his wife Bianca, Galeazzo Maria and Lodovico Sforza, which were brought to unknown destinations. Gian Maria or Giovanni Maria Visconti ( September 7, 1388 &ndash May 16, 1412) was the second Visconti Duke of Milan Bernabò Visconti, also called Barnabò (1319 &ndash 19 December 1385) was an Italian soldier and statesman Lord of Milan in the 14th century Filippo Maria Visconti, ( September 23, 1392 &ndash August 13, 1447) was ruler of Milan from 1412 to 1447 Francesco I Sforza ( July 23, 1401 - March 8, 1466) was an Italian Condottiero, the founder of the Sforza dynasty in Galeazzo Maria Sforza ( January 24, 1444 &ndash December 26, 1476) was Duke of Milan from 1466 until his death Ludovico Sforza Duke of Milan ( Ludovico il Moro, "The Moor" July 27, 1452 &ndash May 27, 1508) a member However, Borromeo's main intervention was the appointment, in 1571, of Pellegrino Pellegrini as chief engineer— a contentious move, since to appoint Pellegrino, who was not a lay brother of the duomo, required a revision of the Fabbrica's statutes. Pellegrino Tibaldi, also known as Pellegrino di Tibaldo de Pellegrini ( Valsolda, 1527 &ndash Milan, 1596 was an Italian mannerist

Borromeo and Pellegrino strove for a new, Renaissance appearance for the cathedral, that would emphasise its Roman / Italian nature, and subdue the Gothic style, which was now seen as foreign. As the façade still was largely incomplete, Pellegrini designed a "Roman" style one, with columns, obelisks and a large tympanum. A tympanum (plural tympana is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance bounded by a Lintel and Arch. When Pellegrini's design was revealed, a competition for the design of the facade was announced, and this elicited nearly a dozen entries, including by Antonio Barca [1].

This design was never carried out, but the interior decoration continued: in 1575-1585 the presbytery was rebuilt, while new altars and the baptistry were added in the nave.

Wooden choirstalls were constructed by 1614 for the main altar by Francesco Brambilla. Francesco Brambilla (16th century was an Italian sculptor of the Renaissance period active in Milan, in the decoration of its massive gothic Cathedral

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

17th century

The cathedral as it looked in 1745
The cathedral as it looked in 1745

At the beginning of the 17th century Federico Borromeo had the foundations of the new façade laid by Francesco Maria Richini and Fabio Mangone. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar Federico Borromeo ( August 18, 1564 – September 22, 1631) was an Italian Ecclesiastic, cardinal and archbishop of Milan Francesco Maria Richini, also spelled Ricchini ( 9 February 1584 - 24 April 1658) was an Italian Baroque Fabio Mangone (1587 - 1629 was an Italian architect Born in Caravaggio, he was a pupil of Alessandro Bisnati, and succeeded him as architect Work 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 revert to original Gothic style, including the already finished details within big Gothic pilasters and two giant belfries. Other designs were provided by, among others, Filippo Juvarra (1733) and Luigi Vanvitelli (1745), but all remained unapplied. Filippo Juvarra, ( March 7, 1678 - January 31, 1736) was an Italian Architect and Scene Year 1733 ( MDCCXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Luigi Vanvitelli ( May 12, 1700, Naples &ndash March 1 1773, Caserta) was an Italian engineer and architect Year 1745 ( MDCCXLV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a In 1682 the façade of Santa Maria Maggiore was demolished and the cathedral's roof covering completed.

The ultimate facade with its striking rosy marble revetment
The ultimate facade with its striking rosy marble revetment

In 1762 one of the main features of the cathedral, the Madonnina's spire, was erected at the dizzying height of 108. Year 1762 ( MDCCLXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year 5 m. It was designed by Francesco Croce and sports at the top a famous polychrome statue of the Madonna, that befits the original stature of the cathedral. Given Milan's notoriously damp and foggy climate, the Milanese consider it a fair-weather day when the Madonnina is visible from a distance, as it is so often covered by mist.

Completion

On May 20, 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte, about to be crowned King of Italy, ordered the façade to be finished. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held Year 1805 ( MDCCCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. In his enthusiasm, he assured that all expenses would fall to the French treasurer, who would reimburse the Fabbrica for the real estate it had to sell. Even though this reimbursement was never paid, it still meant that finally, within only seven years, the Cathedral had its façade completed. The new architect, Francesco Soave, largely followed 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 the spires. Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe.

Piazza del Duomo and Duomo di Milano, 1909
Piazza del Duomo and Duomo di Milano, 1909

In the following years, most of the missing arches and spires were constructed. For the Brazilian footballer see Wilson da Silva Piazza For the American baseball player see Mike Piazza For the coupé car The statues on the southern wall were also finished, while in 1829-1858, new stained glass windows replaced the old ones, though with less aesthetically significant results. For the game see 1829 (board game. Year 1829 ( MDCCCXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display Year 1858 ( MDCCCLVIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common The last details of the cathedral were finished only in the 20th century: the last gate was inaugurated on January 6, 1965. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. 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 statues. The Duomo's main facade is under renovation as of 2007; canvas-covered scaffolding obscures most of the facade. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

Inside the Duomo
Inside the Duomo
Detail of windows from the exterior.
Detail of windows from the exterior.
Tomb of archbishop Alberto da Intimiano.
Tomb of archbishop Alberto da Intimiano.

Architecture and art

The cathedral of Milano is often described as one of the greatest churches in the world. The ground plan is of a nave with 5 aisles, crossed by a transept and then followed by choir and apsis. In Romanesque and Gothic Christian Abbey, Cathedral Basilica and church Architecture, the nave is the Full descriptions of the elements of a Gothic floorplan are found at the entry Cathedral diagram. For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers In Celestial mechanics, an apsis, plural apsides (ˈæpsɨdɪːz is the point of greatest or least distance of the Elliptical orbit of an object from The height of the nave is about 45 meters, the highest Gothic vaults of a complete church (less than the 48 meters of Beauvais Cathedral that was never completed). The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International

The roof is open to tourists (for a fee), which allows many a close-up view of some spectacular sculpture that would otherwise be unappreciated. The roof of the cathedral is renowned for the forest of openwork pinnacles and spires, sitting upon delicate flying buttresses. A pinnacle (from Latin pinnaculum, a little feather pinna compare Panache) is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building particularly a church Tower. A flying buttress, or arc-boutant, is a specific type of Buttress usually found on a religious building such as a Cathedral.

The cathedral's five wide naves, divided by forty pillars, are reflected in the hierarchic openings of the facade. Even the transepts have aisles. The nave columns are 24. 5 metres (80 feet) high, and the apsidal windows are 20. 7 x 8. 5 metres (68 x 28 feet). The huge building is of brick construction, faced with marble from the quarries which Gian Galeazzo Visconti donated in perpetuity to the cathedral chapter. Gian Galeazzo Visconti (November 1351 – September 3, 1402) son of Galeazzo II Visconti and Bianca di Savoia, was the first Duke of Milan 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 Duomo in literature

The American writer and journalist Mark Twain, in his Innocents Abroad, describes the Duomo as follows:

“ What a wonder it is! So grand, so solemn, so vast! And yet so delicate, so airy, so graceful! A very world of solid weight, and yet it seems . Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30 1835 – April 21 1910 better known by the Pen name Mark Twain, was an American Humorist, satirist The Innocents Abroad or The New Pilgrims' Progress was published by American author Mark Twain in 1869. . . a delusion of frostwork that might vanish with a breath!. . . The central one of its five great doors is bordered with a bas-relief of birds and fruits and beasts and insects, which have been so ingeniously carved out of the marble that they seem like living creatures-- and the figures are so numerous and the design so complex, that one might study it a week without exhausting its interest. . . everywhere that a niche or a perch can be found about the enormous building, from summit to base, there is a marble statue, and every statue is a study in itself. . . Away above, on the lofty roof, rank on rank of carved and fretted spires spring high in the air, and through their rich tracery one sees the sky beyond. . . . (Up on) the roof. . . springing from its broad marble flagstones, were the long files of spires, looking very tall close at hand, but diminishing in the distance. . . We could see, now, that the statue on the top of each was the size of a large man, though they all looked like dolls from the street. . . They say that the Cathedral of Milan is second only to St. Peter's at Rome. I cannot understand how it can be second to anything made by human hands. ”
View from north-west
View from north-west

The Duomo in popular culture

The 1934 song "O mia bela Madonina" by Giovanni d'Anzi about the golden Madonna statue on the spire can be considered today an unofficial "city anthem" of Milan. O mia bela madonina ( My beautiful little Madonna) is a tango song by Giovanni D'Anzi which is an unofficial city anthem of Giovanni D'Anzi ( 1 January 1906 - 15 April 1974) was an Italian songwriter

Luchino Visconti's 1960 film Rocco e i suoi fratelli, set in Milan, has a scene where the Duomo rooftop serves as a backdrop. Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo ( November 2, 1906 - March 17, 1976) was an Italian Rocco and His Brothers ( Italian: Rocco e i suoi fratelli) ( 1960) is an Italian and French film directed by

Mainly Milanese dialect speaking people, due to the centuries needed to complete the Duomo, use the "Fabbrica del Duomo" ("Fabrica del Dom" in the dialect) as an adjective (sometimes in a humoristic way sometimes not) to describe an extremely long, too complex task, maybe even impossible to complete. Milanese ( milanes, milanées, meneghin, meneghìn) is the central variety of Western Lombard language spoken in the

The Italian phrase "mangiare a ufo", stemming from the milanese phrase "mangià a uf" meaning "being paid for a job not done", comes from the fact that the goods used to build the Duomo wore the inscription "A. U. F. ", shorthand for Latin "Ad Usum Fabricae" (to be used for the construction).

View from south-west
View from south-west
Above the roof.
Above the roof.


See also

References

  1. '^ Ticozzi, Stefano (1830). See also Description of the term "nave" List of largest churches in the world List of tallest church towers Dizionario degli architetti, scultori, pittori, intagliatori in rame ed in pietra, coniatori di medaglie, musaicisti, niellatori, intarsiatori d’ogni etá e d’ogni nazione (Volume 1). Gaetano Schiepatti; Digitized by Googlebooks, Jan 24, 2007, page 110.  

External links

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