Milan Cathedral

Milan Cathedral

Duomo di Milano from the Square.
Basic information
Location Milan, Italy
Geographic coordinates 45°27′51″N 9°11′29″E / 45.46417°N 9.19139°E / 45.46417; 9.19139
Affiliation Roman Catholic
Architectural description
Groundbreaking 1386
Year completed 1965
Specifications
Length 157 metres (515 ft)
Width 92 metres (302 ft)
Width (nave) 16.75 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
Plate celebrating the laying of the first stone in 1386.
Interior view of the Duomo di Milano

Milan Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Milano; Milanese: Domm de Milan) is the cathedral church of Milan in Lombardy, northern Italy. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, currently Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi.

The Gothic cathedral took five centuries to complete and is the fourth-largest church in the world.[1]

History

Milan's layout, with streets either radiating from the Duomo or circling it, reveals that the Duomo (means Cathedral), occupies what was the most central site in Roman Mediolanum, that of the public basilica facing the forum. Saint Ambrose's 'New Basilica' was built on this site at the beginning of the 5th century, with an adjoining basilica added in 836. When a fire damaged both buildings in 1075, they were later rebuilt as the Duomo.

The beginning

In 1386, Archbishop Antonio da Saluzzo began construction in a rayonnant Late Gothic style more typically French than Italian. 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. 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. Galeazzo gave the Fabbrica exclusive use of the marble from the Candoglia quarry and exempted it from taxes.

In 1389, a French chief engineer, Nicolas de Bonaventure, was appointed, adding to the church its strong Gothic imprint. 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. 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.

In 1500 to 1510, under Ludovico Sforza, the octagonal cupola was completed, and decorated in the interior with four series of 15 statues each, portraying saints, prophets, sibyls and other characters of the Bible. 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 famous "Madonnina" atop the main spire of the cathedral, a baroque gilded bronze artwork.
Giovanni Antonio Amadeo on the "Amadeo's Little Spire".
Milan Duomo is a busy tourist spot in Milan

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). In 1562, Marco d' Lopez's St. Bartholomew and the famous Trivulzio candelabrum (12th century) were added.

Carlo Borromeo

After the accession of the ambitious Carlo Borromeo to the archbishop's throne, all lay monuments were removed from the Duomo. 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. 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.

Borromeo and Pellegrini 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. 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 [2]

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 choir stalls were constructed by 1614 for the main altar by Francesco Brambilla.

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 appeared 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. 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. In 1682 the façade of Santa Maria Maggiore was demolished and the cathedral's roof covering completed.

In 1762 one of the main features of the cathedral, the Madonnina's spire, was erected at the dizzying height of 108.5 m. The spire was designed by Francesco Croce and sports at the top a famous polychrome Madonnina statue, designed by Giuseppe Perego that befits the original stature of the cathedral.[3] 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

The Duomo di Milano in 1856

On May 20, 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte, about to be crowned King of Italy, ordered the façade to be finished. 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 was crowned King of Italy at the Duomo.

In the following years, most of the missing arches and spires were constructed. 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. The last details of the cathedral were finished only in the 20th century: the last gate was inaugurated on January 6, 1965. 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 went under renovation from 2003 to early 2009: as of February 2009, it has been completely uncovered, showing again the colors of the Candoglia marble.

Architecture and art

Detail of windows from the exterior.
Tomb of archbishop Alberto da Intimiano.
Altar of the Madonna of the Tree, left transept.
detail showing a portrait of Heracles

The cathedral of Milano is often described as one of the greatest churches in the world.[4][5] The ground plan is of a nave with five aisles, crossed by a transept and then followed by choir and apsis. 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 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, set upon delicate flying buttresses.

The cathedral's five wide naves, divided by 40 pillars, are reflected in the hierarchic openings of the facade. Even the transepts have aisles. The nave columns are 24.5 metres (80 ft) 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. Its maintenance and repairs are very complicated.

Main monuments and sights

The interior of the cathedral includes a huge number of monuments and artworks. These include:

  • The Archbishop Alberto da Intimiano's sarcophagus, which is overlooked by a Crucifix in copper laminae (a replica).
  • The sarcophagi of the archbishops Ottone Visconti and Giovanni Visconti, created by a Campionese master in the 14th century.
  • The sarcophagus of Marco Carelli, who donated 35,000 ducati to accelerate the construction of the cathedral.
  • The three magnificent altars by Pellegrino Pellegrini, which include the notable Federico Zuccari's Visit of St. Peter to St. Agatha jailed.
  • In the right transept, the monument to Gian Giacomo Medici di Marignano, called "Medeghino", by Leone Leoni, and the adjacent Renaissance marble altar, decorated with gilt bronze statues.
  • In front of the former mausoleum is the most renowned work of art of the cathedral, the St. Bartholomew statue by Marco D'Agrate.
  • The presbytery is a late Renaissance masterpiece composing a choir, a Temple by Pellegrini, two pulpits with giant telamones covered in copper and bronze, and two large organs. Around the choir the two sacristies' portals, some frescoes and a fifteenth-century statue of Martin V by Jacopino da Tradate) can be seen.
  • The transepts house the Trivulzio Candelabrum, which is in two pieces. The base (attributed to Nicolas of Verdun, 12th century), characterized by a fantastic ensemble of vines, vegetables and imaginary animals; and the stem, of the mid-16th century.
  • In the left aisle, the Arcimboldi monument by Alessi and Romanesque figures depicting the Apostles in red marble and the neo-Classic baptistry by Pellegrini.
  • A small red light bulb in the dome above the apse marks the spot where one of the nails from the Crucifixion of Christ has been placed.
  • In November-December, in the days surrounding the birthdate of the San Carlo Borromeo, a series of large canvases, the Quadroni are exhibited along the nave.

Northern Influences

The unhealthy relationship between the native Milanese and foreigners, fueled by jealousy, was both a blessing and a regrettable mistake for the Milan Cathedral. On the one hand, it is the reason why the building is nothing like we know; On the other hand, the slow progression and unplanned construction and unwillingness to compromise led to many problems in the structures of the building. The construction of different parts of the building began and ended at different times. Construction began at the choir under Parisian architect, Bonaventure (Sturgis 280), but the lower end of the nave wasn’t vaulted until 300 years later. The whole construction process lasted approximately five centuries, because some structures were badly constructed, reconstruction was needed. Historical influences of the North

Milan Cathedral, considered to be one of the most remarkable, largest and richest churches, was commenced in 1385 (Fergusson 338). Many regard the foundation of Milan Cathedral, Lombardy’s appearance in the artistic world. The cathedral, erected in the middle ages, was ordered by the first Duke of Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti (Fergusson 338), in 1378 (Jackson 226). In the thirteenth century, Italy was cut up into small principalities and commonwealths; therefore political life was typified by rivalries (Fletcher 283). The Dukes of Milan were very powerful because of the wealth and industry (Fletcher 283). He wanted to dominate the whole Italian peninsula (Hutton 98). The increase in wealth and security from the political consolidation along with the ambitious personality of the Duke resulted in the revival of this particular monumental architecture. The erection of Milan cathedral was due to the civic pride of various rival cities (Fletcher 283). Galeazzo was ambitious and a great traveler. As a consequence, cathedrals built in his time had to be monumental, and he saw for outside help. In 1386, a massive influx of foreign master craftsmen was associated with the building of Milan Cathedral (Burckhardt 22). He invited architects from Germany (Jackson 226), hence the combination of “fervid spirits of German Gothic and half classical Italian Gothic” (Wallace 109). However the French and German masters were not welcome by the Italian architects and engineers. Nevertheless, fourteenth century Milan became an architectural whirlpool of leading architects from Strassburg, Ulm, Cologne and Paris (Sturgis 277).

When the building council produced its own designs, the intention was to build the building without assistance from the north. The foundations were therefore established without consulting foreign advisors. After sensing problems foreign masters were brought to solve them. The introduction of foreign masters brought upon tension between the Milanese and the foreign masters—due partly to jealousy and was partly brought upon by the history of Milan. In twelve century, Milanese still recognized the authority of the German Emperor, even though they were independent of his rule. Then when in the thirteenth century, Milan extended her authority over to Lombardy, and became the head and principle seat of an Italian party which opposed the policy and progress of the Imperial House of Germany (Ridpath 39), perhaps from previous ‘suppression’ of freedom. The compensation factor could be an underlying factor in the unwillingness of the Milanese to compromise. Unfortunately, the building committee of the Milan Cathedral hired and dismissed master architects with speed. During that time, only German and French architects had the requisite scientific knowledge to direct the construction of the cathedral (Sturgis 277). However, because of the existing national antagonism to anything transalpine, the time horizon of foreign masters was too short to have fixed the structural faults.

Throughout the construction of the Milan Cathedral there were those who admired the foreign influences and those who detested them. Sturgis (276) claims that there are evidence indicating that in the fourteenth and fifteenth century, Italians considered Germany to be the origin of Gothic architecture. Those like Pope Pius II believed the Germans to be the greatest architects in the world (Sturgis 276).

North Italian Gothic

Since the gothic style trickled down from beyond the Alps, mostly from France and Germany, it inevitable that Milan Cathedral have traces of both transalpine influences. Fifteenth century Italian Gothic architecture had strong and important German influences and French (Kimball 321). However, the evidence of influences is less subtle in Milan Cathedral.

According to Fletcher (161), typical northern Italian architecture is characterized by Galleries restricted to top of apses, more stonework than marble, wide flat and severe facades, without marking differences of nave and aisles, rose window and porch resting on lions, sculptures reflecting the life of northern invaders. The northern Italian churches were vaulted with basilican plans, with two-story side aisles, and no clerestory. The walls between the side chapels form buttresses. Due to the geographical influences, Italian architecture had small windows and thick walls. Therefore, in attempts to avoid glare and heat of the sun, the development of tracery lagged, in comparison to northern architecture.

Under monastic rule, a conservative Gothic church style had developed in Lombardy—a compromise between French Cistercian forms and Romanesque cathedrals that have developed in the region (Ackerman 86). In the regional gothic churches show no signs of influence from Western Europe; their style is “modest to the point of poverty (Ackerman 86).” They are void of flying buttresses and monumental sculptures, while covered with brick. These characteristics of Lombard gothic architecture were not able to satiate the aesthetic requirements of the Duke. Milan Cathedral showcases the failure of tradition—reflecting the stylistic confusion of Visconti monuments.

Northern Architectural Influences

The cathedral covers an area of 107,782 feet squared (Fergusson 339), or 14,000 square yards (Hutton 100). According to Hutton (100), the cruciform in the five naves, double aisles on each side of the nave) and the aisled transepts are 486 feet long; the main nave, which extends between a series of nine arches to the transepts, reaches 157 feet high; The façade, 219 feet across, and the transept, 292 feet. The giant cathedral can hold up to 40,000 people (Hutton 100). The monumental building is built wholly of fine, white marble (Fergusson 339, Kimball 321), the richest of materials with exterior covered with tracery and lavished with delicate carvings and statuary on its pinnacles and spires. The roof of the Milan Cathedral paved with marble too and nearly flat. The roof is covered with turrets and pinnacles with great detail, producing a lace-like effect, which Wallace describes as “a crowd of pinnacles seemed to tremble and tingle with diamond like light (Wallace 110).” The roof is nearly flat, very neatly paved with marble, and numerous turrets and pinnacles, set with statues of statuettes; rise around and upon it carved by sculptors of great reputation (Wallace 111).

During Horace Wallace’s visit to Milan Cathedral, he notices that Milan cathedra is not true Italian Gothic. Even though the central tower is a purely Italian feature (Jackson 227), the piers, relation of the nave to aisles, the triforium and clerestory are cathedral structures of the north. Unlike many north Italian cathedrals, Milan Cathedral has a reduced clerestory and no triforium. Due to the reduced clerestory, the interior still lacks the light and color decorated by the larger stain glass clerestories characteristic of northern cathedrals (Sturgis 280). Also, the spacing between piers is half the distance of a normal Italian cathedral plan. The cruciform plan with double aisles, square bay in aisles and oblong bays transversely in the nave are due to transalpine architects (Jackson 227). The pinnacles and imagery and extravagant cresting of pierced pediments showcased on the exterior are not the norm in northern Gothic (Jackson 227). Other structures such as the nave vault are also not characteristic of northern work. The nave vault of the Milan Cathedral is quadripartite and levels at the longitudinal ridge. It’s “cross vault rises to the center from the wall rib, which springs at the same level as the transverse instead of being stilted (Jackson 228).” These two factors contributed to the lower side arches.

The execution of this project went under continuous scrutiny and faced ongoing problems with construction. This can be contributed to either the arrogance or the ignorance of the Milanese. The timeline of the construction of Milan Cathedral is seen involving erratic influx and out fluxes of German and French masters, all unable to compromise with the local Milanese. The original designs for the cathedral were higher nave vaulting, larger clerestory windows, and larger nave. However, the tension between the local Milanese and the foreign architects resulted in the rejection of ideas by the Building Committee as well as many Italian architects (Sturgis 280). The rapid dismissals of foreign aid did not help the development of the cathedral. The Cathedral grew haphazardly without an ultimate plan—it was subjected to five different solutions as multiple problems began to surface.

The building is built according to one design (Fergusson 339)—if one assumes the design implied by Fergusson is the original foundation plan. The design assured the Italian spacious ground story and wide intercolumniation (Kimball 321). However, early on, there were already faults in the foundation that was dealt with reluctance by asking for foreign help. Unfortunately, aid was only sought out when problems become increasingly urgent. First, Nicolas de Bonaventure was hired for French engineering not architecture. Hired in 1389, he was dismissed in a year (Ackerman 87). As the piers grew, vaulting became an issue. German architect Annas de Firimburg proposed sections to be designed within an equilateral triangle to solve the vaulting problems (Ackerman89). Firimburg was later dismissed and Gabriele Stornaloco’s design was accepted. As more problems arose, Italians went to Cologne to seek for help. No one was willing to accept the position, and an offer to Ulrich von Esingsen was refused (Ackerman 89). Finally in 1391, Heinrich Parler of Gmund was appointed. Like other architects he made suggestions that were not favored by the Milanese. In conferences his opinions weighed equal to that of the least experienced master (Ackerman 89).

As the disagreements were carried out, Milan Cathedral was beyond the foundation and was being built accordance with Sotrnaloco’s plan. Heinrich saw the foundation as a bad beginning. Notes from the meetings and workshops indicate that small compromises were impossible, and were dismissed in 1392 (Ackerman 96). After the dismissal of Heinrich Parler, construction of the Milan Cathedral proceeded for two years. In 1394, Ulrich von Ensingen accepted the position but refused to execute projected capitals of the apse windows (Ackerman 96). He left six months later. After the hiring and dismissal of multiple foreign masters, the vaulting problem was still not solved. The Milanese postponed the problem until it was forced upon them. In 1399, three French engineers were appointed due to construction faults (Ackerman 96). One of the Frenchman, Mignot, applies theories and standards of construction based strictly on northern tradition and interpret deviations as errors. The beliefs of the two sides clashed as art collided with science. Mignot wins the good grace of the Duke, while the Milanese decides to accept no foreign solution to the major problems in construction and continue on with decorative devices.

The major difference between the ideologies of Milanese and foreigners are on two sides of extremes. Milanese council believed “science of geometry should not have a place in these matters since science is one thing and art another,” while foreign masters addressed that “technical proficiency in building is worthless if the higher geometrical principles are not employed” (Ackerman 101). The northern experts draw upon their experience and on Gothic architectural traditions, however they didn’t take into account the foundation floor plan of the cathedral. The difference in ideology results in clashes ideas of what solutions to take about piers, vault, nave, base, and towers. The epitome of problems with Milan Cathedral is the process in which construction was carried out. Members of the cathedral were designed before the structural purpose was determined (Ackerman 107)—there was no set plan. Northern influences, of both French and German, can be found in the floor plan and in the architectural details. This is evident because Italian churches are usually a direct copy from old Roman basilicas (Fergusson 342). Unlike the Milan Cathedral, they are on the whole not a combination of circular Eastern Church with western rectangular nave. When construction began in 1386, the plan for the entire structure of Milan Cathedral was made (Sturgis 277). According to Sturgis (227), the ground plan was heavily influenced by German manner—based on triangle and square. The Milanese proposal attempts to employ geometry under the German influence (Ackerman 94), but confusedly, it doesn’t make much sense. The native proposal also doesn’t have a cohesive coherent plan for the upper, lower portions, and foundation. The foreign proposals were interrelated. The German proposal in particular focuses on the geometrical shapes of square and equilateral triangle.

There are visible traces of Northern influence in the interior of the building and on the exterior. Fergusson (342) claims that all the interior details are German. For example, the capitals of the pillars with niches, and the statues with fragments of classical entablatures. However, most flamboyant details, probably of the exterior, were French with some modified by Germans (Kimball321).Among the exterior details, the emphasis on the vertical lines, as in English Perpendicular, are German in nature (Kimball 321). Even though the pitched roof was exchanged for flatter ones, the horizontality of the nearly flat roofs is hidden by the multitude of pinnacles and statues covering the roof top of Milan Cathedral. The dominant effect forest of pinnacles is that it conceals the buttresses and nave walls with strong vertical effect. The verticality of the pinnacles and statues marked the gothic architecture in the north (Fletcher 283). Certain aspects of the cathedral are a fusion of both French and German influences. For example, the choir is a combination of a French circlet of columns enclosed in a German polygonal termination (Fergusson 342). The designs of Germans were passed through Italian hands. Even if the Milanese Committee Council agreed to the designs, assistant artists and workmen were still Italian (Jackson 228).

Conclusion

In The Cities of Lombardy, Hutton writes “for if a cathedral is to live, it must be an expression of national consciousness, not of individual desire.” Even though the Milan Cathedral is not a prime example of perfect architecture, the history of the cathedral is dictated by the controls of the Milanese. Sturgis (285) observed that there are no attempts to create a uniform church design with external harmony and unity. Instead, he notes that the façade has no organic relation to the structure it attempts to mask and the rest of the exterior. Albeit the inorganic feeling of the Milan Cathedral exists along with its structural faults, and the original execution of the building by Galeazzo was to satisfy individual desire, it is truly an expression of national Milanese consciousness.  

The Duomo in literature

Poet Percy Bysshe Shelley used to read literature inside the Duomo.[1] Alfred, Lord Tennyson enjoyed the view of the Alps from the Duomo roof.[1]

The American writer and journalist Mark Twain visited Milan in the summer of 1867. He dedicated chapter 18 of Innocents Abroad to the Milan Cathedral, including many physical and historical details, and a now uncommon visit to the roof. He 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 ...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.

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.
  • Luchino Visconti's 1960 film Rocco e i suoi fratelli, set in Milan, has a scene which takes place on the roof of the cathedral.
  • Many Milanese dialect speakers, due to the centuries needed to complete the Duomo, use the "Fabbrica del Duomo" ("Fabrica del Dom" in the dialect) as an adjective (sometimes humorously, sometimes not) to describe an extremely long, too complex task, maybe even impossible to complete.[1]
  • The Italian phrase "mangiare a ufo", stemming from the Milanese dialect 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) and were exempt from taxation.
  • A souvenir model of the cathedral was thrown at the nose of Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi during an attack on December 13, 2009. [6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Duomo". Frommer's. http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/europe/italy/milan/25103/duomo/attraction-detail.html. Retrieved 2009-06-01. 
  2. ^ Ticozzi, Stefano (1830). 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, January 24, 2007. p. 110. http://books.google.com/books?id=0ownAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA5&dq=Stefano+Ticozzi+Dizionario. 
  3. ^ Sylvia Tombesi Walton 2005, Milan, the Lakes and Lombardy TimeOut Books, ISBN 9781904978091
  4. ^ "Can Taurus the Bull help Wales?". BBC. 2003-09-03. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/3083404.stm. Retrieved 2009-06-01. 
  5. ^ "Give Milan a Second Chance". Deseret News. 1990-09-02. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&p_multi=DSNB&d_place=DSNB&p_theme=newslibrary2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F35FCC702D98C4F&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved 2009-06-01. "yet architectural historians call it one of the world's greatest cathedrals. ..." 
  6. ^ Italy's PM Silvio Berlusconi is bloodied by attack. BBC News, December 13, 2009.

Burckhardt, Jacob. Architecture of the Italian Renaissance. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1987. Print. Fergusson, James. A history of Architecture In All Countries. Vol. 2. New York: Dodd, Mead, & Co., 1885. Print. Fletcher, Banister. A History of Architecture on the Comparative Method. 4th ed. London: Bradbury, Agnew, & Co., 1901. Print. Hutton, Edward. The Cities of Lombardy. New York: Macmillan Co., 1912. Print. Jackson, Thomas G. Gothic Architecture in France, England, and Italy. Vol. 2. Chicago: University, 1915. Print. Kimball, Fiske, and George H. Edgell. A History of Architecture. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1918. Print. Ridpath, John C. Cyclopaedia of Universal History. Vol. 3. Madison: Jones Bros. Pub. Co., 1890. Print. Wallace, Horace B. Art and Scenery in Europe, With Other Papers. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1868. Print.



External links