Milano, Cathedral

The Cathedral was founded, according to tradition, in 1386, commissioned by the archbishop Antonio da Saluzzo (1386). Initially it had to follow a volumetric and architectonic project in typical Lombard-Gothic style, made of terracotta and with a modest vertical development. Then, the Duke Gian Galeazzo Visconti wanted to offer to Milan a status symbol worthy of the capital city of such a powerful seiniory. Therefore he founded the time-honoured "Fabbrica del Duomo" (October 16th 1387), an association in charge of regulating the construction program.
On the southern side of the Cathedral there is a figure representing a man, dressed in an ornate robe, holding a long goose quill pen in his right hand. It is the statue of the Unknown Architect. During the XV century, the architects Solari and Amadeo worked at the program. Towards the end of the XVI century the building, whose construction had been started from the apse, was completed with the naves; Pellegrini, master builder from 1567, designed a baroque façade, partially realized in the XVII century by Richini and continued by Buzzi, who restored the gothic forms. In 1805 Napoleon resolved the question of the façade offhandedly approving Amati's project, which will give it its ultimate aspect. In 1774 the coppery statue of the Madonnina, 4,12 mt high, was put on the top of the Cathedral. The exterior. The material chosen for the construction of the Cathedral was the white-rosy Candoglia marble coming from the Valdossola. It was transported to Milan by boat along navigable canals. The façade is predominantly baroque in the lower order, gothic-style in the upper one. It is divided vertically by six pilasters topped by pinnacles and ideally supported by statues of men with centrepiece function. Along the basement there are 52 low relieves representing " Scenes from the Old Testament". There are 5 portals overtopped by large openings, first triangular arch-, then, acute arch-like. The portals' gables are adorned by high relieves and frame pottery-decorated bronze doors. Terraces: large marble plates, lightly inclined, form the Cathedral's roof. The roof may be reached through a steep stairway situated between the left side and the transept of the Cathedral (exactly 919 steps). From above it is possible to enjoy an amazing view of the city and see the 135 pinnacles. There are typical gothic decorations with figures of different subjects (falconatura), rampant arches, drainpipes and pinnacles, and, standing out this large stretch of marble, the octagonal tiburio of Giovanni Antonio Amadeo (1447-1522). Outside, the building is adorned with 3159 statues, of which 2245 are visible (as well as the 96 "giants" of the drainpipes and the innumerable half-figures sculpted in the frames of the large openings).
The interior: Latin Cross Plan. The five naves which end in the transepts are marked by 52 polistyle pilasters whose capitals are decorated with niches of statues. The presbytery, situated next to the transept, is surrounded by a deambulatory. The works of art contained in the Cathedral are numerous: among them, "The Sarcophagus of Ariberto of Intimiano" (the Carroccio creator) and the II century bronze coated crucifix, which, according to the tradition, might be the Carroccio's one. Next to it there is the headstone showing the year of the Cathedral's foundation. And then, the funeral monument of Gian Giacomo Medici, marquis of Marignano, a soldier (called the Medeghino), defender of Charles V; the statue of "S. Bartolomeo", created by M. D'Agrate in 1562; the Treasure of the Cathedral, extraordinary collection of high liturgical handicraft; the "Baptistery of S. Stefano alle fonti" (accessible from the ascent to the Cathedral). In the crypt there is the "tomb" of S. Carlo Borromeo, leading figure in the Milan history during 1600. Below the churchyard (accessible from inside the Cathedral), roman ruins.