Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.
Showing posts with label Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica Of The Nativity Of Saint Mary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica Of The Nativity Of Saint Mary. Show all posts

25 June, 2025

Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica Of The Nativity Of Saint Mary, Milan, Italy. Basilica Cattedrale Metropolitana Di Santi Maria Nascente, Milano. (Part Nine).



English: Milan Cathedral.
Italiano: Milano - Duomo.
This File: 30 January 2014.
Source: Own work.
This file is licensed under the
(Wikimedia Commons)



Duomo of Milan.
The Church That Took 600 Years To Finish.
Available on YouTube

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia, unless stated otherwise.

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 La Scala Theatre. It was quickly repaired and became a place of solace and gathering for displaced local residents.[14]

The Duomo’s main façade was renovated from 2003 to 2009: as of February 2009, it has been completely uncovered, showing again the colours of the Candoglia Marble.[15]



Milan Cathedral.
Date: August 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: MarkusMark
(Wikimedia Commons)

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 for “adoption”. Donors who contribute 100,000 (about $110,000), or more, will have a plaque, with their name engraved on it, placed on the Spire.[16]

The Plan of the Cathedral consists of a Nave with four Side Aisles, crossed by a Transept, and then followed by Choir and Apse. The height of the Nave is about forty-five metres (148 ft), with the highest Gothic Vaults in a completed Church (not as high as the forty-eight metres (157 ft) of Beauvais Cathedral, which was never completed).

The Roof is open to tourists (for a fee), which allows many a close-up view of some spectacular sculpture that would otherwise be unappreciated. The Roof of the Cathedral is renowned for the forest of openwork Pinnacles and Spires, set upon delicate Flying Buttresses.[17]

PART TEN FOLLOWS.

10 June, 2024

Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica Of The Nativity Of Saint Mary, Milan, Italy. Basilica Cattedrale Metropolitana Di Santi Maria Nascente, Milano. (Part Four).



English: Milan Cathedral.
Italiano: Milano - Duomo.
This File: 30 January 2014.
Source: Own work.
This file is licensed under the
(Wikimedia Commons)


The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless stated otherwise.

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 programme was strictly regulated under the “Fabbrica del Duomo”, which had 300 employees, led by Chief Engineer Simone da Orsenigo. Orsenigo initially planned to build the Cathedral from brick in Lombard Gothic style.



Milan Cathedral’s roof is accessible to tourists.
Photo: 21 June 2016.
Source: Own work.
Author: Daniel Case
(Wikimedia Commons)

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 style.

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.[9]

Mignot declared all the work done, up until then, as “in pericolo di ruina” (“in peril of ruin”), as it had been done “sine scienzia” (“without science”).



The Gold Madonna at the top of Milan Cathedral.
Photo: 22 February 2014.
Source: Own work.
Attribution: © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro /
Author: José Luiz .
(Wikimedia Commons)

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 into the central part of the Cathedral a 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.

PART FIVE FOLLOWS.
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