One of the most famous monuments of Italy is Milan Cathedral. The majestic building, located in the very center of the city of the same name, strikes with the grace of forms and fundamentality at the same time. Many interesting facts are connected with the history of the cathedral.
Place and timing of construction of the building
Milan Cathedral was built over 4 centuries, not every world monument of architecture can boast of such a solid time investment. The official date of commencement of work was the distant year 1386. In the first half of the 19th century, all the main activities were completed, but some work continued to be carried out at a later time. So, in 1965 the latest innovations were implemented. Since that time, the construction of the cathedral has been completed in full.
The place for the construction of the cathedral was chosen special. For several centuries, various sanctuaries, temples and churches were built here. The very first local building is considered to be a Celtic building, and a few centuries later the Romans erected a temple of Minerva on the same place.
The reason for the construction of the cathedral
The fourteenth century is a difficult time for Italy and Europe. The Apennine peninsula was drowned in wars, famine and deadly diseases. The construction of such a large cathedral became a symbol of its kind, confirming the strength, power and strength of the city of Milan and its inhabitants, who were not afraid of even the most terrible world troubles. The basilica, built in honor of the Blessed Virgin, allowed the inhabitants to tirelessly pray to their patroness, not to lose hope for the best. It is believed that the city is not allowed to build buildings that exceed the highest point of the cathedral. To this day, the townspeople sacredly revere the image of the Mother of God and often come to the Duomo to pray to her.
Milan Cathedral in faces
The order to start construction of the city's largest cathedral was given by Duke Giangaleazzo Visconti. The initial project was developed by the local architect Simone de Orsenigo, then European specialists from France and Germany joined the work, which was quite rare for the construction of those times. The Italians considered people from central Europe to be barbarians who knew nothing about art. More than 10 famous architects and the same number of assistants oversaw the building for the entire time of its construction. For the construction of the cathedral, not only a style rare in those days was chosen, but also an unusual material - white marble. True, initially they planned to use brick for the construction of the cathedral, but later it was decided to abandon this idea.
Big impact onThe construction of the Duomo of Milan was provided by Napoleon, thanks to his efforts, the construction work was significantly accelerated. Perhaps that is why the statue of the famous emperor also adorned one of the spiers.
Features of the exterior decoration
Milan Cathedral harmoniously absorbed a wide variety of architectural trends, the main one being the Gothic style. The building is decorated with a huge number of details, and there are carvings, sculptures, and sophisticated spiers rising into the Italian sky. One of the most remarkable statues is the beautiful Madonna, it was in her honor that construction began. The figure, 4 meters high and weighing about a ton, is made of bronze and covered with gilding. A recognizable element of the cathedral is the central roof with an endless number of spiers, erected in 1404 and perfectly preserved to this day.
From the roof of the Milan Cathedral offers an amazing view of the surroundings of the city. Climbing up to the top platform of the building by stairs or elevator, you can appreciate the Victor Emmanuel II Gallery, the world-famous La Scala opera, admire the amazing roofs of Milanese houses.
Features of interior decoration
Milan Cathedral is famous not only for its magnificent exterior, but also for its no less beautiful interior decoration. The basilica is notable for its significant size; it is considered to be the second largest in Italy. At the same time, about 40 thousand people can be in the cathedral, the highest point reachesmarks of one hundred and six and a half meters, the length of the building is 158 meters. The decoration of the cathedral strikes with fundamentality and symbolism. Inside there are 52 columns, according to the number of weeks in a year. One seemingly inconspicuous statue occupies a special place among the objects of the basilica. Saint Bartholomew in Milan Cathedral is revered and loved by millions of Catholics. This great martyr suffered cruelly for his faith, his skin was flayed while still alive.
Milan Cathedral in Italy has another world relic. Near the altar there is a nail, which, according to legend, was driven into the palm of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, the general public is given only one day a year, September 14, to see it. Also, tourists quite often visit the Egyptian bathroom, where the rite of baptism is held, numerous colorful mosaics, wooden choir stalls and the mausoleum-tomb of D. D. Medici.
Duomo - Milan Cathedral - has one more feature. Near its main entrance there is an astronomical clock in the form of a metal tape.
What makes Milan Cathedral unique?
Milan Cathedral is unique in many ways, here are just a few facts by which you can judge its unusualness:
- the white marble from which the cathedral was built was not used for the construction of any other religious buildings in Europe;
- was the first to be planned and implemented in a unique architectural direction of Flaming Gothic;
- is one of the largest in Italy and Europe;
- construction was carried out not with the money of the church, but with donations from the nobility, which was quite unusual in those days;
- participation in the development of the project and construction was taken by architects from all over Europe;
- long construction period;
- every year more than 700 thousand people come to Milan to admire the unusual beauty of the city's cathedral. The historical era forever left its mark on the majestic architecture of the Duomo, which absorbed the entire history of Italy and Milan.
