Milan Cathedral

Milan Cathedral

Milan Cathedral, also called the Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary, is the main church of Milan in Italy. People also know it as Duomo di Milano. It serves as the home church for the Archbishop of Milan, who now is Archbishop Mario Delpini.

Building this amazing cathedral took almost six hundred years! Work started way back in 1386, and the last small details were finished in 1965. Even though it took so long, Milan Cathedral became the biggest church in all of Italy. Only St. Peter's Basilica, which sits in the State of Vatican City, is larger than Milan Cathedral. Both are among the biggest churches in the whole world.

History

Milan's layout shows that the Duomo, or Milan Cathedral, was built in the center of ancient Roman Mediolanum, near important public buildings. The first cathedral was finished by 355 and was called the "new basilica." An older baptistery nearby dates back to 335.

Construction of the current Duomo began in 1386 under Archbishop Antonio da Saluzzo. It started when Gian Galeazzo Visconti became the ruler of Milan. The cathedral was built to honor the people and show Milan's importance. Over time, many architects and engineers worked on it, including Leonardo da Vinci, who helped design the central cupola.

The cathedral took many years to complete. In 1577, it was officially consecrated as a new church. In 1762, a tall spire called the Madonnina was added. The main façade was finished in 1805 by order of Napoleon Bonaparte. The last details were completed in 1965, though some decorations are still waiting to be finished. During World War II, the cathedral suffered some damage but was quickly repaired. Today, it remains an important landmark in Milan.

Architecture and art

The Milan Cathedral has a special shape with a long middle part called a nave and four smaller side parts. It also has a cross-shaped part called a transept, followed by a special area called a choir and an ending part called an apse. The nave is very tall, about 45 metres high.

You can walk up to the roof of the cathedral, which has many tall, detailed stone points and towers called pinnacles and spires. These are supported by curved stone supports called flying buttresses. Inside, the cathedral has five wide spaces called naves, separated by strong stone pillars. The walls and windows are made of brick but covered with marble.

In 2015, the cathedral got a new lighting system using special energy-saving lights called LEDs.

Different people have had many opinions about how the cathedral looks. Some love its mix of styles from many years of building, while others find it too mixed and busy.

Inside the cathedral, there are many important statues, old tombs, and beautiful decorations. There are also special altars, old organs, and even a small light in the dome that marks where a very old nail is kept. During certain times of the year, large paintings and modern art pieces are shown inside the cathedral. Famous writers like Mark Twain and Henry James visited and wrote about this amazing building.

Astronomical observations

Starting in 1786, astronomers from the Brera Astronomical Observatory made a special line inside Milan Cathedral. They put a line on the floor to show when the sun was directly overhead at noon. A small hole in the roof let sunlight shine down to mark this time. This helped people in the city know when it was exactly noon, and they would fire a cannon to help everyone set their clocks. Even though the line wasn’t perfect, it worked well for many years.