Mark Twain once said “The Duomo…is the first thing your eyes seek as you wake up in the morning and the last one you admire in the evening. 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.”
You can easily imagine how wonderful this Church is. It was built in the middle of the city in 1387 and was run by the “Veneranda Fabrica”, which constantly preserves it with frequent renovation works. If the outside appearance of the Duomo is majestic and stunning, the interiors are even more surprising: five naves divided by fifty-two pillars sustaining the vaults, fifty-five monumental windows, high and slim, filtering a soft light, a floor made of dark and light marbles.
Did you know that the Cathedral’s marble comes from one single place? Milan’s ancient Duke Gian Galeazzo Visconti decided to use Candoglia stone, from D’Ossola Valley, and hired architects and sculptors from all over Europe to come and realize this majestic project.
Many artistic styles can be spotted on the Duomo’s façade, from 1300 to 1900: gothic, late Renaissance, baroque, neo-gothic…
The most significant relic in the Cathedral is the Holy Hail, one of the four nails of the Real Cross, the one where Jesus Christ was executed. Today it is kept in a case that can be seen from every part of the Duomo, thanks to a red light.
Last but not least: inside, near the entrance, you can see the sundial featuring the Capricorn symbol. It is a three meters-long brass band on the floor, crossing the entire nave end continuing on the North wall. On the Southern wall, at approximately 24 meters above the floor, there is a hole: at Midday, a sunbeam penetrates from here and hits the floor.
Mark Twain once said “The Duomo…is the first thing your eyes seek as you wake up in the morning and the last one you admire in the evening. 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.”
You can easily imagine how wonderful this Church is. It was built in the middle of the city in 1387 and was run by the “Veneranda Fabrica”, which constantly preserves it with frequent renovation works. If the outside appearance of the Duomo is majestic and stunning, the interiors are even more surprising: five naves divided by fifty-two pillars sustaining the vaults, fifty-five monumental windows, high and slim, filtering a soft light, a floor made of dark and light marbles.
Did you know that the Cathedral’s marble comes from one single place? Milan’s ancient Duke Gian Galeazzo Visconti decided to use Candoglia stone, from D’Ossola Valley, and hired architects and sculptors from all over Europe to come and realize this majestic project.
Many artistic styles can be spotted on the Duomo’s façade, from 1300 to 1900: gothic, late Renaissance, baroque, neo-gothic…
The most significant relic in the Cathedral is the Holy Hail, one of the four nails of the Real Cross, the one where Jesus Christ was executed. Today it is kept in a case that can be seen from every part of the Duomo, thanks to a red light.
Last but not least: inside, near the entrance, you can see the sundial featuring the Capricorn symbol. It is a three meters-long brass band on the floor, crossing the entire nave end continuing on the North wall. On the Southern wall, at approximately 24 meters above the floor, there is a hole: at Midday, a sunbeam penetrates from here and hits the floor.
