There are places in the world that immediately inspire a sense of wonder, and I’m grateful for each one I've come across. The most recent one for me was the Duomo Cathedral in Milan.
I suspect however one sees the brilliant white marble facade for the first time, it will be remembered for a lifetime. Corie’s and my first glance of the city’s iconic landmark was from the subway station stairs, ascending a drab gray passageway leading to the square. It was impossible to ignore the 135 spires reaching into a perfectly blue summer afternoon sky.
At the top of the stairs, I had to stand still for a moment just to comprehend the sheer scale of the building. It’s the third-largest Roman Catholic cathedral in the world and the largest in Italy (St. Peter’s Basilica is the largest such church in the world, but since the Vatican City is a sovereign country, its cathedral isn’t in Italy).
Despite the Duomo’s imposing size, the exterior is visually light; its flying buttresses, oversized stained-glass windows, and spires make it look like a giant lace curtain rising upside-down from the stone-paved plaza. The Candoglia marble quarries, located about 60 miles away in Piedmont’s Ossola valley, supplies the cathedral with its marble as it has since 1387. The marble’s unique pink streak adds to the visual delicateness and grandeur.
Navigating through a summer crowd of selfie-addicted tourists to get closer to the cathedral, standing dwarfed next to one of the bronze doors, tarnished green with age, one truly feels the scale of the building. As the cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, scenes of Christ’s ministry and Mary’s life adorn the doors in a splendid feast of religious art.
There are places where the patina is worn off, revealing the shiny metal underneath. One such place is on the figure of Jesus as Roman soldiers are leading him to his crucifixion. Our Milan tour guide explained locals and tourists alike touch the carving for good luck and answered prayers. Oddly, the patina on one of the Roman soldier’s legs is worn to a gold hue. Our tour guide couldn’t fathom why people touched the soldier’s leg since they were the ones who led Christ to his execution. The only reason, our guide surmised, was the soldier’s leg was a very sexy Italian leg. Tourists.
The cathedral was built over the course of 500 years, and therefore represents changing architectural and artistic styles. Half a millennium might seem like a long time, but when one strolls along the terraces leading to the rooftop, included in a 30 euro fee, it seems impossible that the cathedrals 39,370 square foot exterior, along with its 2,300 external statues, and 150 gargoyles, could be completed in that amount of time.
To keep the marble gleaming white is a full-time endeavor. Tall scaffolding dots the structure, moving from one place to the next in an ongoing battle against weather, smog and pigeons. Our guide noted that tourists are often shocked to see giant advertisements on the scaffolding, a decision that helps defray the cost of upkeep. It’s impossible, however, for the scaffolding and ads to detract from the cathedral’s sublime beauty.
The cathedral’s interior can hold 40,000 worshippers. It would take a visitor many, many days to fully appreciate the array of stained glass, reliefs, artwork and 1,000 statues throughout the vast interior. As one leaves the cathedral, he is faced with one such statue, the 1562 monument to St. Bartholomew, a martyr who was skinned alive. The saint’s flayed skin drapes over his frame like a cloth, an unsettling sight.
Milan, of course, is much more than it’s cathedral, and next week we’ll explore more of this beautiful city.
Comments