Milan's Duomo

A duomo is generically a cathedral church, and so far as I can tell every city of any size in Italy has one.  The duomo of Milan is actually a cathedral to Saint Mary Nascent.  Its construction was started in 1386 and as most projects of any scale it is still under construction and renovation. 

Projects of this size use a flying buttress design that transfers the loading of the main hall into a series of supporting exterior structures to hold the center section.  In this case the buttresses are interior to the main area.  Since its start there have been 73 architects and engineers in charge of the construction and reconstruction.  That this building is still standing is a tribute to those who have added to or fiddled with its structure.

The interior is dark and solemn.  Archbishops are buried in it and it serves as the headquarters for the current archbishop of Milan.  As you would expect there are tributes to various saints and martyrs in corners of the church.  Gargoyles and reliefs of biblical events adorn the exterior.  One feature that caught my attention is the entrance doors.  These bronze doors have cast into them scenes from the construction of the church. A nice tribute to the workmen who labored on the edifice.

Legend has it that a religious relic, one of the nails that held Jesus to the cross, is held in this church.  This relic hangs from wires in a case high over the altar.  This adds significance to the cathedral. 

Another rather unusual feature is the statue of St Bartholomew.   Bartholomew is the disciple who was skinned by the romans for his belief. Flaying was an awful punishment since It was done while the person was alive.  The intriguing part of this is the artist had to beg for indulgence from the Pope in order to sculpt the statue since it was against the church doctrine to violate the human body after death and displaying the muscles and such of the saint would have opposed this doctrine.

Stained glass and painted windows, dark furniture, an immense pipe organ add to the religious aura of this magnificent building. 

exterior of building.

view of interior facing the front.

a protecting Gargoyle

Front view of Cathedral to Maria Nascent 

20-30' stained glass window along sides of main area.

One of the many painted glass windows

Dual pipe organs

st Bartholomew statue

one of the main entrance doors

door detail showing steps of construction of the duomo
bottom three panels of door above.

As a side note; money is tight everywhere and so there is a 2 euro charge to take pictures inside the building.  Yes, there are enforcers who graciously point this out to anyone with a camera. (Personal experience and worth the money.)