Duomo of Milan - Italy

History of Duomo of Milan and his art
The Duomo of Milan is the monument symbol of the city and is situated in the homonym plaza in the center of town.
It is one of the most famous and complex Gothic constructions of the world. As dimensions it is the second highest church of the world (after the cathedral of Beauvais in France) and third greatest cathedral (after St.Peter in Vatican and the cathedral in Seville).
Where now the Duomo is, before there was the ancient cathedral of Saint Maria Maggiore.
The Duomo was builted for wanting of archbishop Anthony from Saluzzo and of the gentleman of Milan Gian Galeazzo Visconti.
In 1418 the major altar was consecrate from pope Martino V and in the 1572 St.Charles Borromeo consecrated the church even if the construction was not finished yet.
In the XVIII century was built the major steeple on which the godeln Madonnina was raised while the façade was completed 1813 on request of Napoleone, that here wanted to be crowned king of Italy. For the whole XIX century the steeples and all the architectural decorations were completed.
In 1943, after the damages suffered during the second world war, the Duomo was restored to a large extent and the wood doors were replaced with others of bronze.
The maintenance of the cathedral is submitted to the " Veneranda fabbrica del Duomo", whose interventions are continuous.

Fiftytwo pillars divide the five aisles support the archway painted from Alberti and Alexander Sanquirico in the half 1800. The floor, on original design of Pellegrini, it is an interlacement of clear and dark marbles with intrinsic designs.
In the first aisle, to the right, there is the sarcophagus of y archbishop "Ariberto da Intimiano" the inventor of the "Carroccio". Following sarcofagis of archbishops Ottone Visconti and Giovanni Visconti.
To the sixth span there are the three magnificent altars of Pellegrini on the first one of which there's the Federico's Zuccai picture "the visit of Sant'Agata in the Jail from St. Pietro"
In front of the Medici Mausoleum it is found the «piece» more famous than the whole Duomo: the famous Marco's Di Agrate work."St. Bartholomeo Scorticato".
Inside the Cathedral other frescos are found among which the "Vergine dell'Aiuto" and the statue of Pope Martino V, fifteenth-century work of "Jacopino da Tradate".
Notable it is the Trivulzio Candelabrum that consists of two parts; a foot, all one interlacement of vine tendril, vegetable, fantastic animals, attributed e to Nicolas Verdun (XIII century) and a slender stem to seven arms, to volutes and embroideries of half 1500.
After the three altars of Pellegrino Tibaldi, in the left aisle they are found the kiosk Tarchetta of the Amadeo, the "Arcimboldi dell'Alessi" monument, the Romanesque figures of Apostles in red marble, and finally the classic Baptistery of Pellegrini. The first span is crossed by list of marble and bronze of the sundial.
In November, month devoted to St. Charles Borromeo, the teleris of the life of the Saint are exposed
The windows of the cathedral are closed from historiated glass doors that was implemented in the centuries.
The façade is a mix of centuries of architecture and Italian sculpture that it goes from the Late Renaissance of the Pellegrini to the Baroque one of Francesco Maria Richini, to the pseudo-Gothic Napoleonic of the Acquisti.
A walk around the cathedral allows to appreciate the endless number of sculptures, of gargoyles, of steeples to of arcs. Lifting the look, above the forest of steeples, the steeple of the cupola raises it with the golden Madonnina symbol of Milan and very loved by the Milaneses.

Some numbers:
1386 the year of birth of the Duomo.
158 meters his length.
93 meters his/her width.
108 meters his height.
11.700 are the square meters
5 are the aisles.
52 are pillars that divide the aisles
135 are the steeples.
40 are the little pillars of every steeple with hundred flowers and with around 8-10 statues
around 3400 the statues that decorate him.
1774, the year of of the Madonnina laying.
4 meters the height of the Madonnina
3400 are the gold foils of the Madonnina.