Milan Cathedral, Italy – World’s Great Cathedrals
Intro
"No trip to Milan is complete without a tour of the Milan Cathedral" say all the tour guides you can find.
Since the cathedral is in the central square of the city, its hard to miss it!
Information Sources
Sacred Destinations is a respected organization that describes the location, history, architecture and other relevant information for major sacred destinations in much, but not all of the world.
The following paragraphs are an excerpt from their much longer and detailed article and I give you the link below.
The second source is another website, Worldsiteguides.com. This site features detailed articles of major secular and sacred sites around the world, many including narrated HD video tours.
After reading through the introductory paragraphs you will be able to click on a 5+ minute high quality HD vdeo tour of the cathedral.
Let's get started.
by SacredDestinations.com
An exceptionally large and elaborate Gothic cathedral on the main square of Milan, the Duomo di Milano is one of the most famous buildings in Europe. It is the largest Gothic cathedral and the second largest Catholic cathedral in the world.
Milan Cathedral interior nu blufton.com
History
The street plan of Milan, with streets either radiating from the Duomo or circling it, indicates that the Duomo occupied the most important site in the ancient Roman city of Mediolanum.
Saint Ambrose built a new basilica on this site at the beginning of the 5th century, with an adjoining basilica added in 836. When fire damaged both buildings in 1075, they were rebuilt as the Duomo.
In 1386 the archbishop, Antonio da Saluzzo, began the new project in a rayonnant Late Gothic style that is more characteristic of France than Italy. Work proceeded for generations.
The main spire was topped in 1762 with a polychrome statue of the Madonna, to whom the Duomo and its predecessor have always been dedicated.
Even now, some uncarved blocks remain to be turned into sculpture. Gothic construction on the rest of the Duomo was largely complete in the 1880s.
The Duomo was recently under major renovations and cleaning for several years, obscuring the west front with scaffolding. Works were finally completed in 2009, revealing the newly-cleaned facade in all its glory.
Milan Cathedral on Flickr.com
You can see and read more about Milan Cathedral at:
The Milan Cathedral Video
If any of you has seen the Milan Cathedral in person, please share your experience with us in a Comment below.
My youngest daughter, husband and two young sons toured several European countries for a month, including an unexpected detour by rail that took them through Milan. Unfortunately, they no time to explore as their destination was still a substantial train ride away.
Etc.
If you think this post adds something useful/valuable to "Good News - Tastefully Presented", please use the Share Buttons and/or email the link to my blog below directly to your friends.
Thanks! - Dick S
