Stunning Facts about Milan Cathedral Architecture
Going all the way to Milan to watch a football match and not seeing the Cathedral in Milan would be a big miss! Of course both are not comparable on any scale! Nevertheless these stunning facts about Milan Cathedral architecture will convince you to make a visit there.
Stunning Facts about Milan Cathedral Architecture
You need at least 3 hours to appreciate the Cathedral completely. Divide your time touring exteriors, interiors and roof of the Milan cathedral. I have highlighted the amazing facts of Milan Cathedral’s Rooftop tour separately. This one is dedicated only to the stunning facts of Milan Cathedral exteriors.
There are several guided tours of Milan cathedral which will help you understand and admire this iconic cathedral better.
Milan Cathedral is 5th Largest
Did you know the Cathedral of Milan is the 5th largest one in world? Yes! It ranks after the St. Peter’s Basilica of Vatican, Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil, Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York and Seville’s Cathedral in Spain. It is hard to imagine the church has a capacity for a congregation of 40,000. The height of Milan Cathedral is 108.5m.
Facade of Milan Cathedral
The sheer size of the facade stunned me to silence! You need to stand at a distance from the cathedral and just gaze at the whole frame of the facade, this sight charms you beyond words!
Best time to see the cathedral of Milan would be evening when sun is bidding farewell to the day. The facade seems bathed in a shade of pink which is hard to describe. Milan cathedral is made of bricks and the facade is made of marble. It took 7 years to make just this facade (1805 – 1812).
To me it looked like a gigantic cardboard cut vertical structure. Strong and mighty, the monument was undamaged during the WW1, in spite of bombings nearby. The entire structure of the Duomo is behind the facade. The sculpted stories, the frame work of the doors, the details in them… all were so fascinating; I could stand hours there if only I had the time.
Doors of Milan Cathedral
Milan Cathedral has 5 impressive bronze doors which open to the cathedral square. These bronze doors are made between the years 1896 and 1965. Each of the doors has many figures and characters carved depicting the stories in Bible and the history of the church. Central door is the largest among all five bronze doors. It weighs 37 tons, and depicts the life of Virgin Mary.
Bronze door of Milan Cathedral
6 Centuries to build Milan Cathedral
The work for this church was commissioned in 1386 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, it was finally completed in 1965. The last bronze door was inaugurated on 6th January 1965. Centuries of work by thousands of workers, and what a marvel they created!
More and more additions and modifications are being made to the cathedral. The latest one is a new LED lighting system in 2015.
Lady Liberty in Facade of Milan Cathedral
Did you know the inspiration for Statue of Liberty came from this statue of Lady Liberty in the façade of Milan Cathedral? Yes! She was sculpted in 1810 by Camillo Pacetti. Before you walk into the cathedral through the main entrance, look up to see the sculpture of this beautiful Lady holding a torch in her right hand. Similarity doesn’t end there. Both are wearing a crown and tunic.
Difference is what they are holding in their left hand. Statue of Liberty in New York has a book with the American Independence day’s date on it. Lady Liberty in Milan Cathedral holds a cross.
Milan Cathedral Interior Architecture
As I walked into the Duomo, I felt like I was walking into a different era – a different world in a different era. It was dark inside, artificial lights provided here and there and natural light filtering in through the glass panes. Slowly my eyes got adjusted to the dim lighting and I started to discover the wonders inside.
Huge pillars on either side, it was difficult to decide which of the dimensions were more impressive, the diameter or the height of the pillars. There were 52 of them. The ceiling was so high, ambulatory windows on either side had stained glass.
Each glass pane seemed to tell a story. These are something so unique and work in them so rare. If you are ever there check out the fifth in the right hand aisle which is the oldest and dates to 1470-75 and the newest one the seventh one which dates to 1988. The contrast is so beautiful.
And finally, The Holy Nail Of The Cross! In the vault above the choir, a red light marked the location of the niche where a nail from Christ’s cross has been kept. It is believed to be there since 1461. It is shown to the public every 14th September.
The Bishop of Milan is raised to the level of the niche to bring down the nail in a kind of decorated balcony, drawn by invisible pulleys. Many people visit in September to take part in the holy ceremony. I was there on April 20th; Sept 14 was a long time away.
Piazza del Duomo Milan
Piazza del Duomo is the Milan Duomo’s surrounding plaza. Right from Roman era this central square was the heart of Milan. During Middle Ages several churches mushroomed around this main cathedral. But after completion of the construction of the main cathedral of Milan all churches were brought down to make space for this grand piazza. After all a cathedral as grand as this required an impressive piazza!
Today it is the hub for all kinds of celebrations and festivals in the city.
The equestrian statue of Vittorio Emanuele II in the center of this Piazza, it was put up in 1876. This was to honor him as he became the first king of Italy in 1861. The pedestal depicts the troops he led to battle. On either side the statue is flanked by large lions.
Historical Events in Milan Cathedral
- Leonardo da Vinci demonstrated how to lift and draw great weights by means of levers, recognized today as first lift, in Milan Cathedral.
- Napoleon was crowned as king of Italy in Milan Cathedral in 1805.
Opening Hours and Tickets to Milan Duomo
The cathedral is open to public from 8AM to 7PM.
Cheapest ticket to Cathedral costs €3.50 for adults and €2.50 for children between 6 to 12yrs. This ticket includes visit to Museum too.
You can get complete information for various ticket plans that includes or excludes elevator charges, entry to Baptistry here – Duomo Milan
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Breathtakingly splendid. How did we decline from beauty such as this to the horrid Chapel at Ronchamp by Le Corbusier?
Part of the answer is those who built the great Gothic cathedrals had a vision of heaven while Le Corbusier was both an atheist and a Marxist.
Le Corbusier's "vision" for Paris "urban renewal" included tearing down Nôtre-Dame!
No surprise that Ronchamp is so horrible.
This leaves the question: What was the church thinking when they approved Le Corbusier's design?
Stupendous – its beauty lives forever.
so beautiful, and you captured it so well!
Very impressive and pretty!
so beautiful
can only say immortal beauty
Stunning and magnificent. Only Faith can move people to create such monumental works of everlasting beauty .
Can imagine the amount of pain and work that has gone into the making of this church.
40,000 Wow… that must be massive.
Have already made a mental note of "must see" places.
The 14th century through the 19th? I visited this as a child – amazing.
Truly, a wonder!
Amazing pictures of an amazing building.
It is absolutely stunning. Happy to know that such a beauty was preserved from the bombings of WW1.
Reminds us of the Hawa Mahal, Jaipur – the facade part of it. Very beautiful.
Just came back from there!!! Your photos are great – I had some trouble with the strong light and overexposure. When were you exactly? Maybe we met unknowingly.
So intricate the whole edifice looks. This lighitng on the first photo is beautiful
its so beautiful! it just takes my breath away!!
The church is so beautiful. The architectural designs are so superb. Very lovely.
i couldn't get enough of this church–it's absolutely beautiful! did you go to the roof top? the view from there is awesome, and you get closeups of the spires.:p
It's absolutely awesome.
Sydney – City and Suburbs
That looks truly amazing, I'd love to see it one day.
This is so great! Being Catholic, I do hope I could see this in person, too.
Have a peek at My World HERE. Happy Tuesday!
Beautiful shots. The architecture is awesome.
marvelous indeed!! awe inspiring statistics too
What an incredible place. Beautiful.
Beautiful. The first shot is stunning.
What a beautiful photo of the church, nice view.
What delightful memories your superb photos of Milan's Duomo brought me! I have been there and it is magnificent! What a fun look back for me! Have a lovely week, Indrani!
Sylvia
I too could stand there looking up inspecting the details and of course photographing each one 😀
I too could stand there looking up inspecting the details and of course photographing each one 😀
Fantastic shots of the Church. I love how you showed details and the whole view.
I can only imagine what this must have been like. Nice pictures and I am sure the experience was even better