Milan Cathedral - photo, history and description

One of the most famous monuments of Italy is the Milan Cathedral. The imposing building, located in the very center of the city of the same name, amazes with elegance of forms and fundamentality at the same time. Many interesting facts are connected with the history of the cathedral.

Place and date of building erection

Milan Cathedral was built over the course of 4 centuries, not every world architectural monument can boast of such considerable time expenditures. The official date of the beginning of the work was the far 1386 year. In the first half of the XIX century, all major activities were completed, but some of the work continued at a later time. So, in 1965 the last innovations were implemented. Since that time the construction of the cathedral has been completed to the full.

A special place was chosen for the erection of the cathedral. For several centuries various sanctuaries, temples and churches were erected here. The first local building is considered to be a Celtic structure, and a few centuries later the Romans erected in the same place the temple of Minerva.

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 kind of a symbol that confirms the strength, power and fortress of the city of Milan and its inhabitants, who were not afraid even of the most terrible world woes. The basilica, built in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, allowed residents 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. Citizens still honor the image of the Mother of God to this day and often come to the Duomo to pray to her.

Milan Cathedral in the faces

The order for the construction of the largest city cathedral was given by the Duke of Jangaleazzo Visconti. The original 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 do not understand anything about art. More than 10 famous architects and the same number of assistants supervised the construction for the entire time of its erection. For the construction of the cathedral was chosen not only a rare in those days style, but also an unusual material - white marble. True, originally for the construction of the cathedral planned to use a brick, but later on this idea was decided to abandon.
Napoleon had a great influence on the construction of the Milan Duomo, thanks to his diligence, the construction work was significantly accelerated. Perhaps that's why the statue of the famous emperor also adorned one of the spiers.

Features of exterior decoration

The Milan Cathedral harmoniously absorbed many different architectural directions, the main one being the Gothic style. The building is decorated with a huge amount of details, here there are carvings, sculptures, and refined spiers rising to the Italian sky. One of the most remarkable statues is the beautiful Madonna, it was in her honor that the construction was started. The figure of 4 meters in height and weighing about a ton is made of bronze and covered with gilding. The recognizable element of the cathedral is the central roof with an infinite number of spiers, built in 1404 and perfectly preserved to our days.

From the roof of the Milan Cathedral, you can admire the city's surroundings. Climbing the top platform of the structure on the stairs or on the elevator, you can appreciate the gallery named after Victor Emmanuel II, the opera La Scala, known all over the world, to admire the marvelous roofs of Milan's houses.

Features of interior decoration

Milan Cathedral is famous not only for its magnificent exterior, but also for its beautiful interior decoration. The basilica is remarkable for its size, it is considered to be the second largest in Italy. At the same time in the cathedral there can be about 40 thousand people, the highest point reaches a mark of one hundred and six and a half meters, the length of the building is 158 meters. The decoration of the cathedral is striking in its fundamental character and symbolism. Inside there are 52 columns, according to the number of weeks in the year. A special place among the objects of the basilica is occupied by one inconspicuous, seemingly statue. St. Bartholomew in the Cathedral of Milan is revered and loved by millions of Catholics. This great martyr severely suffered for the faith, with him still skin was ripped off.

The Milan Cathedral in Italy has another world relic. Near the altar is a nail, which, according to legend, was pounded into the palm of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, only a single day of the year, on September 14, is given to the general public. Also, tourists often look around the Egyptian bath, in which the baptism ceremony is performed, numerous colorful mosaics, wooden choruses and the mausoleum-tomb of DD Medici.

The Duomo - Milan Cathedral - has one more feature. Near its central entrance there is an astronomical clock in the form of a metal tape.

What is the uniqueness of the Milan Cathedral?

The Milan Cathedral is unique in many respects, here are just a few facts on which one can judge its unusual:

• The white marble from which the cathedral was built was not used for the construction of any other religious buildings in Europe;
• The first was planned and embodied in the unique architectural direction of flaming Gothic;
• Is one of the largest in Italy and Europe;
• The construction was carried out not on the church's money, but on the donations of the nobility, which was rather unusual in those times;
• The participation in the development of the project and construction was accepted by architects from all over Europe;
• Long term construction;
• Every year more than 700 thousand people come to Milan to admire the unusual beauty of the cathedral city council. The historical era has forever left its mark on the majestic architecture of the Duomo, which absorbed the whole history of Italy and Milan.