The Milan Duomo, seen from the Piazza del Duomo.
Over 8 million tourists visited Milan in the year 2019; the number is projected to increase amidst a pan-European tourism boom. What did they come to see? Certainly, the northern Italian city has many attractions that appeal to a great number of sightseers, including Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, the historic Teatro alla Scala, and the beautiful Sforzesco Castle. But there’s one place that almost all of these tourists will certainly see: Milan’s cathedral, the Duomo.
And no wonder: the Duomo took over 600 years to build. To put that in another way, the amount of time it took to build the Duomo is more than the amount of time the Roman Empire (going by the time of the fall of the Western Roman Empire, 476 AD) existed. The cathedral is no joke.
But of course, the length of construction time isn’t the only way to measure a building’s worth. So what makes the Duomo special? This is the question we sought to answer when we visited the cathedral and one that we held in our heads for most of our visit. Just what is it about the Duomo that makes it so irresistible?
Exterior
The Duomo’s façade from close up.
Visiting the cathedral, the first thing that immediately caught our attention was, obviously, the front façade. Built completely of white marble, it is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture and design. Note the flat, pyramidal composition of the façade, its richly carved spires culminating at the apex and combining with the main body to form a visually pleasing pentagonal shape. Intricately decorated “head to toe” with carved marble figures and columns, the front face of the Duomo is probably one of the most beautiful parts of the entire cathedral.
Before we even stepped foot into the cathedral proper, one of the biggest reasons for the Duomo’s popularity showed itself to us: its sheer size. Counting by square area and volume, the Duomo is the third-largest church building in the world. The façade shows this quite bluntly; the flatness of the marble face makes for a focal point visible from anywhere in the Piazza del Duomo. Seeing the whole building clearly requires a view from the center of the Piazza itself. Otherwise, the building just doesn’t fit into the range of the eye.
This factor of fame, size, was soon to become much clearer in the interior of the Duomo.
Interior
Duomo, central nave.
Alternate view of the naves, seen from the transept.
Entering through the front of the cathedral, we were immediately overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the space. Gigantic stone pillars stretched almost impossibly high, supporting a rib-vault ceiling and spreading the weight of the roof along the five naves. The size of the human figures next to the columns in the bottom picture gives a vague sense of perspective to the viewer. It’s hard to imagine just how much space the cathedral takes up until you actually go inside.
From the sheer size of the columns, taller and thicker than trees, we can get a grip on the challenge of simply holding the roof up, much less keeping the walls standing, sculpting the hundreds of intricate details, and maintaining such a vast space. The very existence of a building as vast as this, factoring in construction time, restoration, and maintenance, is truly remarkable.
List of Milan’s archbishops. The Duomo’s first archbishop was Antonio da Saluzzo (listed as “Antonio Saluzzese”), number 101 on the list.
Walking down the nave towards the apse, we were encountered by gigantic stained-glass windows and a large number of side altars. One of the most incredible testaments to the sheer length of time it took to build the Duomo is towards the right of the nave; a marble panel on the wall lists all the archbishops of the city of Milan, ever. The archbishops of the present-day cathedral start around halfway down. It really speaks to the age of Milan’s Christian community, and to the age of the Duomo.
Side chapel in the Duomo.
For me, the most beautiful side chapel was the one pictured above, with what looks to be a statue of Saint Ambrose encased in a wonderfully baroque sculpture. The placard above him, “Ego sum pastor bonus”, is a quotation from the Bible, and is Latin for “I am the good shepherd”. Surrounded by beautiful stained-glass windows, this chapel is right next to the exit from the roof terraces, and I’d recommend stopping to admire it for a moment or two.
These kinds of side chapels are scattered across the sides of the cathedral, specifically next to the rightmost and leftmost naves. Their styles range from the Medieval to the Baroque, similar to Toledo Cathedral. Often, they include statues carved of marble and stone.
St. Bartholomew Skinned, by Marco d’Agrate.
Of course, one of the most famous sculptures in the Duomo is Marco d’Agrate’s “St. Bartholomew Skinned”. The stone statue features the eponymous St. Bartholomew, who was, according to tradition, skinned alive. The saint, somewhat morbidly, wears the folds of his own skin like a robe; the extremely accurate muscular structure is fully displayed. However morbid it may be, we had to admit that the sculpture was an impressively accurate and realistic work.
In a human touch, the sculptor proudly wrote the words “I was not made by Praxiteles (a famous Greek sculptor of antiquity) but by Marco d’Agrate” on the statue’s pedestal. And can we blame him?
Apse windows. Due to construction, only 2 of 3 are pictured.
A closer look at one of the apse windows.
Moving towards the back of the Duomo, the highlight of the apse is undoubtedly the three gigantic stained-glass windows. Featuring elaborate stone tracery, these windows are remarkable in both their sheer size and in the ridiculous amount of detail. Taking a closer look at the windows, we could see row after row of intricately detailed scenes in stained glass, portrayed in incredibly vibrant colors and life-like characters. The rows of rectangles featuring Biblical scenes almost feel like a comic strip; just looking at it fills visitors with awe and respect.
And while at the apse, we made sure to check out the red light towards the top that highlights the container that holds the Holy Nail, the purported nail that pierced Christ on the cross; every year, the archbishop takes the Holy Nail down to ground level, where it is displayed for 40 hours before being taken back to the top of the cathedral. Certainly an interesting tradition.
Roof terraces
View from the Duomo roof terraces.
Detail of flying buttresses, seen from roof terraces. Note the intricate stone carving.
Our visit to the Duomo, though, wasn’t complete without a visit to the roof terraces. Riding an elevator to the very top, we slowly made our way under the flying buttresses. The intricately carved stone, complete with arches, trefoils, statues of saints, and Gothic spires, makes the terraces a ridiculously beautiful space. The architectural beauty combines with commanding views of Milan, complete with a great view of the Piazza del Duomo in the front.
Row after row of trefoiled arches form the flying buttresses that support the great walls of the Duomo. They are decorated not only with geometric motifs but also with statues of saints grouped together in towering spires.
View of the Piazza Duomo from the roof terraces.
View of the Museo Duomo and Palazzo Reale from the roof terraces. The belfry of San Gottardo in Corte is visible towards the far left.
The full beauty of the view of the terraces cannot be understated, even though it started to pour rain the moment we went to the top. I would highly recommend at least a quick view of the terraces; it’s really a view you can’t miss. Any visit to the Duomo isn’t complete without a visit to the top.
Museo Duomo
Combined with properly admiring the exterior and interior of the cathedral, a visit to the terraces completes the visit to the Duomo proper. However, we made sure to also check out the Museo Duomo, which is right next to the cathedral, towards the right transept exit.
I would highly recommend at least quickly skimming through the museum’s collections. It includes many insightful details about the full history of the Duomo, as well as many samples of art that used to be in the cathedral; fans of stained-glass, wood or stone sculpture, or just shiny things in general will enjoy the experience. Below is a small collection of some of the highlights of the museum:
Stained-glass depiction of an angel, Museo Duomo.
Gilt silver cross, Museo Duomo.
Reproduction of the Statue of the Virgin Mary on top of the Duomo, Museo Duomo.
Another stained-glass depiction of an angel, Museo Duomo.
1/20 wooden model of the Duomo, Museo Duomo.
Concluding thoughts
In a city as historically and culturally rich as Milan, the unquestioned highlight is the cathedral: in our case, the Duomo. Certainly, it is a triumph of Gothic architecture, from the gigantic stained-glass windows to the beautiful roof terrace spires.
We sought to answer the question of what makes the Duomo so special and irresistible to people all around the world. From my observation based on my visit, I could gather three reasons: history (specifically the long building time), architectural and aesthetic beauty, and sheer size.
Such a masterpiece of Western civilization should certainly be admired to its very fullest; I would highly recommend a thorough visit here if ever going to Milan. It’s definitely worth the 600-year wait.