'' by
Anthony van Dyck, c. 1619-1620 Milan's layout, with streets either radiating from the Duomo or circling it, reveals that the Duomo occupies what was the most central site in
Roman Mediolanum, that of the public
basilica facing the
forum. The
first cathedral, the "new basilica" (''
) dedicated to St Thecla, was completed by 355. It seems to share, on a slightly smaller scale, the plan of the contemporaneous church recently rediscovered beneath Tower Hill in London. An adjoining basilica was erected in 836. The old octagonal baptistery, the Battistero Paleocristiano'', dates to 335 and can be visited under the cathedral. When a fire damaged the cathedral and basilica in 1075, they were rebuilt as the Duomo.
Construction begins In 1386, Archbishop Antonio da
Saluzzo began construction of the cathedral. The start of the construction coincided with the ascension to power in Milan of the archbishop's cousin
Gian Galeazzo Visconti, and was meant as a reward to the noble and working classes, who had suffered under his tyrannical Visconti predecessor
Barnabò. The construction of the cathedral was also dictated by very specific political deliberations: with the new construction site the population of Milan intending to emphasize the centrality of Milan in the eyes of Gian Galeazzo, a prominence questioned by the choice of the new lord to reside and maintain his court, like his father
Galeazzo II, in
Pavia and not in Milan. Before actual work began, three main buildings were demolished: the palace of the Archbishop, the Ordinari Palace and the Baptistry of St. Stephen at the Spring, while the old church of Sta. Maria Maggiore was exploited as a stone quarry. Enthusiasm for the immense new building soon spread among the population, and the shrewd Gian Galeazzo, together with his cousin the archbishop, collected large donations for the work-in-progress. The construction program was strictly regulated under the "
Fabbrica del Duomo", which had 300 employees led by first chief engineer
Simone da Orsenigo. Orsenigo initially planned to build the cathedral from brick in Lombard Gothic style. and altar Visconti had ambitions to follow the newest trends in European architecture. In 1389, a
French chief engineer, Nicolas de Bonaventure, was appointed, adding to the church its
Rayonnant Gothic. Galeazzo gave the Fabbrica del Duomo exclusive use of the marble from the
Candoglia quarry and exempted it from taxes. Ten years later another French architect, Jean Mignot, was called from Paris to judge and improve upon the work done, as the masons needed new technical aid to lift stones to an unprecedented height. Mignot declared all the work done up until then as in
pericolo di ruina ("peril of ruin"), as it had been done
sine scienzia ("without science"). In the following years, Mignot's forecasts proved untrue, but they spurred Galeazzo's engineers to improve their instruments and techniques. However, relations between Gian Galeazzo and the top management of the factory (chosen by the citizens of Milan) were often tense: the lord (who in 1395 had become
Duke of Milan) intended to transform the cathedral into the dynastic
mausoleum of the
Visconti, inserting the central part of the cathedral funeral monument of his father Galeazzo II and this met with strong opposition from both the factory and the Milanese, who wanted to underline their autonomy. A clash arose, which forced Gian Galeazzo to decide on the foundation of a new construction site intended exclusively for the Visconti dynasty: the
Certosa di Pavia. Work proceeded quickly, and at the death of Gian Galeazzo in 1402, almost half the cathedral was complete. Construction, however, stalled almost totally until 1480, for lack of money and ideas: the most notable works of this period were the tombs of Marco Carelli and
Pope Martin V (1424) and the windows of the apse (1470s), of which those extant portray
St. John the Evangelist, by Cristoforo de' Mottis, and
Saint Eligius and
San John of Damascus, both by Niccolò da Varallo. In 1452, under
Francesco Sforza, the nave and the aisles were completed up to the sixth bay. on "Amadeo's Little Spire" In 1488, both
Leonardo da Vinci and
Donato Bramante created models in a competition to design the central cupola; Leonardo later withdrew his submission. From 1500 to 1510, under
Ludovico Sforza, the octagonal cupola was completed, and decorated in the interior with four series of 15 statues each, portraying saints, prophets, sibyls and other Figures from the
Bible. The exterior long remained without any decoration, except for the ''Guglietto dell'Amadeo'' ("
Amadeo's Little Spire"), constructed 1507–1510. This is a
Renaissance masterwork which nevertheless harmonized well with the general Gothic appearance of the church. During the subsequent
Spanish domination, the new church proved usable, even though the interior remained largely unfinished, and some bays of the nave and the transepts were still missing. In 1552, Giacomo Antegnati was commissioned to build a large organ for the north side of the choir, and
Giuseppe Meda provided four of the sixteen reliefs which were to decorate the altar area (the program was completed by
Federico Borromeo). In 1562, Marco d'Agrate's
St. Bartholomew and the famous
Trivulzio candelabrum (12th century) were added.
Borromeo After the accession of
Carlo Borromeo to the archbishop's throne, all lay monuments were removed from the Duomo. These included the tombs of
Giovanni, and
Filippo Maria Visconti,
Francesco I and his wife Bianca,
Galeazzo Maria, which were brought to unknown destinations. However, Borromeo's main intervention was the appointment, in 1571, of
Pellegrino Pellegrini as chief engineer— a contentious move, since to appoint Pellegrino, who was not a lay brother of the duomo, required a revision of the Fabbrica's statutes. Borromeo and Pellegrini strove for a new, Renaissance appearance for the cathedral, that would emphasise its Roman / Italian nature, and subdue the Gothic style, which was now seen as foreign. As the façade still was largely incomplete, Pellegrini designed a "Roman" style one, with columns, obelisks and a large
tympanum. When Pellegrini's design was revealed, a competition for the design of the façade was announced, and this elicited nearly a dozen entries, including one by Antonio Barca. This design was never carried out, but the interior decoration continued: in 1575–1585 the presbytery was rebuilt, while new altars and the baptistry were added. The wooden choir stalls were constructed by 1614 for the main altar by
Francesco Brambilla. In 1577, Borromeo finally consecrated the whole edifice as a new church, distinct from the old Santa Maria Maggiore and Santa Tecla (which had been unified in 1549 after heavy disputes).
17th and 18th centuries 's Spire, 2025 At the beginning of the 17th century,
Federico Borromeo had the foundations of the new façade laid by
Francesco Maria Richini and
Fabio Mangone. Work continued until 1638 with the construction of five portals and two middle windows. In 1649, however, the new chief architect
Carlo Buzzi introduced a striking revolution: the façade was to revert to the original Gothic style, including the already finished details within big Gothic pilasters and two giant belfries. Other designs were provided by, among others,
Filippo Juvarra (1733) and
Luigi Vanvitelli (1745), but all remained unapplied. In 1682 the façade of Santa Maria Maggiore was demolished and the cathedral's roof covering was completed. In 1762, one of the main features of the cathedral, the Madonnina's spire, was erected at the dizzying height of 108.5 m. The spire was designed by Carlo Pellicani and sports at the top a famous polychrome
Madonnina statue, designed by Giuseppe Perego that befits the stature of the cathedral. Given Milan's notoriously damp and foggy climate, the Milanese consider it a fair-weather day when the Madonnina is visible from a distance, as it is so often covered by mist.
Completion at the Duomo in 1838, by
Alessandro Sanquirico On 20 May 1805,
Napoleon Bonaparte, about to be crowned King of Italy, ordered the façade to be finished by Pellicani. In his enthusiasm, he assured that all expenses would fall to the French treasurer, who would reimburse the Fabbrica for the real estate it had to sell. Even though this reimbursement was never paid, it still meant that finally, within only seven years, the cathedral's façade was completed. Pellicani largely followed Buzzi's project, adding some neo-Gothic details to the upper windows. As a form of thanksgiving, a statue of
Napoleon was placed at the top of one of the spires. Napoleon was crowned King of Italy at the Duomo. In the following years, most of the missing arches and spires were constructed. The statues on the southern wall were also finished, while in 1829–1858, new stained glass windows replaced the old ones, though with less aesthetically significant results. The last details of the cathedral were finished only in the 20th century: the last portal was inaugurated on 6 January 1965. This date is considered the very end of a process which had proceeded for generations, although even now, some uncarved blocks remain to be completed as statues. The Allied
bombing of Milan in World War II further delayed construction. Like many other cathedrals in cities bombed by the Allied forces, the Duomo suffered some damage, although to a lesser degree compared to other major buildings in the vicinity such as the
La Scala Theatre. It was quickly repaired and became a place of solace and gathering for displaced local residents. The Duomo's main façade went under renovation from 2003 to early 2009: as of February 2009, it had been completely uncovered, showing again the colours of the Candoglia marble. In November 2012, officials announced a campaign to raise funds for the cathedral's preservation by asking patrons to adopt the building's spires. The effects of pollution on the 14th-century building entail regular maintenance, and recent austerity cuts to Italy's cultural budget have left less money for the upkeep of cultural institutions, including the cathedral. To help make up funds, Duomo management launched a campaign offering its 135 spires up for "adoption". Donors who contribute
€100,000 (about
$110,505) or more will have a plaque with their name engraved on it placed on the spire.
Architects and engineers • 1387 Simone da Orsenigo • 1387 Zeno da Campione • 1387 Marco da Campione detto da Frixono • 1389 Giacomo da Campione • 1389 Nicola Bonaventura o da Benaventis di Francia • 1389 Stefanino o Tavannino di Castelseprio • 1391 Giovanni Fernach di Frimburgo • 1391 Giovannino de Grassi • 1391 Lorenzo degli Spazii da Campione o di Laino • 1391 Marco da Carona • 1391 Enrico di Gamodia (Gmüden) • 1394 Beltramo da Conigo • 1394 Ulrico Füssingen di Ulma • 1398 Salomone de Grassi • 1399 Antonio o Antonino da Paderno • 1399 Gasparino da Carona • 1399 Giacomolo da Venezia di Parigi • 1399 Giovanni Mignoto • 1399 Giovanni Cona o Cova di Bruges • 1399 Arasmino de Sirtori • 1400 Filippo degli Organi • 1401 Polino da Orsenigo • 1404 Antonio da Paderno • 1406 Cristoforo de Chiona • 1407 Leonardo da Sirtori • 1409 Giovanni Magatto • 1415 Antonio da Muggiò • 1416 Bartolomeo di Modena • 1420 Antonio da Gorgonzola • 1430 Franceschino da Cannobio • 1451 Giorgio degli Organi da Modena • 1451 Giovanni Solari • 1452 Antonio da Firenze detto il Filarete • 1458 Donato de Sirtori • 1459 Boniforte o Guinforte Solari • 1476 Pietro Antonio Solari • 1483 Giovanni Nexemperger di Graz • 1486 Giovanni Antonio Amadeo • 1490 Gian Giacomo Dolcebuono • 1506 Cristoforo Solari detto il Gobbo • 1512 Gerolamo della Porta • 1519 Bernardo Zenale di Treviglio • 1524 Giangiacomo della Porta • 1526 Cristoforo Lombardo • 1539 Baldassarre Vianelli • 1547 Vincenzo da Seregno o Seregni • 1567
Pellegrino Pellegrini, called
il Tibaldi • 1587 Martino Bassi • 1591 Lelio Buzzi • 1598 Aurelio Trezzi • 1609 Alessandro Bisnato • 1617
Fabio Mangone • 1617 Giovanni Paolo Bisnato • 1631
Francesco Maria Ricchino • 1638 Carlo Buzzio o Buzzi • 1658 Girolamo Quadrio • 1679 Andrea Biffi • 1686 Giambattista Quadrio • 1723 Antonio Quadrio • 1743 Bartolomeo Bolla o Bolli • 1760 Francesco Croce • 1773 Giulio Galliori • 1795 Felice Soave • 1801 Giovanni Antonio Antolini • 1803
Leopoldo Pollak • 1806 Giuseppe Zanoja • 1806 Giuseppe Pollak • 1806 Carlo Amati • 1813 Pietro Pestagalli • 1854–1860 Office vacant • 1861 Giuseppe Vandoni • 1877 Paolo Cesa-Bianchi • 1904 Gaetano Moretti • 1907
Luca Beltrami • 1912 Adolfo Zacchi • 1963
Antonio Cassi Ramelli • 1964 Carlo Ferrari da Passano • 1988 Benigno Mörlin Visconti Castiglione ==Architecture and art==