The Duomo

Well, ladies and gentlemen, here it is. THE DUOMO.
This enormous Gothic cathedral looks just as imposing as you'd think from these pictures.

It took over five centuries to complete the construction. Ongoing since the 14th century, the cathedral has been added to and maintained up until this day. One of the spires on the back is under construction, and the museum that is nearby was also under construction (much to my dismay). By far, this is the highlight of any trip to Milan.

"What a wonder it is! So grand, so solemn, so vast! And yet so delicate, so airy, so graceful! A very world of solid weight, and yet it seems ...a delusion of frostwork that might vanish with a breath!...

The central one of its five great doors is bordered with a bas-relief of birds and fruits and beasts and insects, which have been so ingeniously carved out of the marble that they seem like living creatures-- and the figures are so numerous and the design so complex, that one might study it a week without exhausting its interest...everywhere that a niche or a perch can be found about the enormous building, from summit to base, there is a marble statue, and every statue is a study in itself...

Away above, on the lofty roof, rank on rank of carved and fretted spires spring high in the air, and through their rich tracery one sees the sky beyond. ...(Up on) the roof...springing from its broad marble flagstones, were the long files of spires, looking very tall close at hand, but diminishing in the distance...We could see, now, that the statue on the top of each was the size of a large man, though they all looked like dolls from the street...

They say that the Cathedral of Milan is second only to St. Peter's at Rome. I cannot understand how it can be second to anything made by human hands."

--Mark Twain (from Innocents Abroad)


Had to include this one for a bit of perspective. See me? Down there? On the bottom? The marble was absolutely exquisite. Think of how many people had to chip away at it, deliver it, carry it...
Our plan was to visit the Duomo on Sunday morning, before check-out at the hotel, and in time to attend a mass. We walked around the enormous, cross-shaped structure, trying to think about all the efforts of the remarkable craftsmen who were involved in creating such a structure and the meaning that this place had held for faithful believers.

These plates adorned doors that were not in operation. You can see in the one above how the legs of two of the figures are shinier than the others. Perhaps this is a point most often touched by visitors?

One of the few pictures we took of the inside. Tapestries hung from the high ceilings and pews were abundant. No air conditioning. Imagine how cold it must have been in the winter and how stifling hot in the summer...

We sat through the entire hour-long mass, in Italian! I was surprised at how much I could understand, seeing as the Catholic Mass is pretty much the same wherever it is celebrated. But the homily was another story... ;)
See me down there? This was part of the building next door!

Ah! And then there was our ascent onto the roof!
How cool is that, that you're able to walk up and onto the roof??? (For a few Euros, of course.)

The view was amazing.

That's me catchin' de babies from above.

Now this shot, if you look carefully, is taken through one of the opened stained-glass windows. You can see the altar in the middle as well as the chair where the priest or deacon would sit. Mass was going on at this time (the solemn service) so we had to be discreet.


This is the view of the piazza in front of the Duomo.

We truly enjoyed our time visiting the second-largest Catholic cathedral in the world!