The beginning of the Duomo di Milano was in the year 1386
As the inscription carved into the Candoglia marble inside the Cathedral states, it all began in the 14th century with the start of construction on Milan's grand church, which would only reach completion in 1965.
It is an interplay of stories, eras, historical figures, major restorations, and refined details in the shadow of the spires. All of these are preserved under the care of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano, the historic institution dedicated to the conservation and promotion of the Cathedral, founded just one year after construction began, in 1387, by the then Lord of Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti.
Today, the Duomo is the largest church in Italy, excluding St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, as well as the third largest in the world by surface area and sixth by volume.
This record was held closely for many centuries and remained almost unbeaten until the advent of contemporary architecture. Measuring 158 meters in length and 93 meters in width, the Duomo di Milano occupies over 430,000 cubic meters in volume and covers a surface area of 12,000 square meters, 8,000 of which are walkable. All of this amounts to a total weight of 325,000 tons!
Its imposing floor plan is divided into five naves and punctuated by 52 pillars, corresponding to the number of weeks in a year. The pillars stand 22 meters high and are interconnected by pointed arches.
Two distinct spirits blend together here, the Lombard and the Transalpine, made possible by establishing an international workshop of artists, architects, and master craftsmen. Their combined efforts brought triumph to the Milanese Cathedral as a complex, daring, and unique interpretation of Gothic architecture.
Let us retrace the steps through the Monumental Complex of the Duomo and discover the various sites and record-breaking features that compose it, ready to embark on a journey filled with wonder and amazement.
Your visit to the Duomo di Milano begins now!
By the Numbers
To understand the magnificence of the Duomo, we can look at a few technical figures that help bring its immense scale into concrete perspective.
Stop 1
Where the City Meets the Sky
The first stop begins on the outside, admiring the grand façade and its thousands of decorations, upon which the eye rests with delight. We immediately notice the vast amount of sculptures and lush ornamentation that climb up the Cathedral like lace carved in marble, reaching into the sky and enriching the view of Milan and its piazza.
In the past, the piazza would have been even more impactful, suddenly revealing the Duomo’s pure white mass to the visitor.
A total of 3,400 statues decorate the Duomo, 2,300 of which are on the exterior.
Prophets, female saints, martyrs, and bishops are just a few of the 1,800 outdoor sculptures spanning every era and school of art. They are set into the ribs of the walls, mounted on 410 brackets and 746 head brackets, adorn the portals, and crown the 135 spires that top the Cathedral's roof.
There are 96 giants supporting the drainage system alongside 150 gargoyles, from whose stone mouths rainwater pours during those forgettable Milanese days. Small and varied in expression, the 800 corbels are miniatures carved in marble, true masterpieces of expression.
Inside, sculptures even find a place atop the large capitals, a little-known detail that represents a record unique in the world for the Duomo and its architecture.
There are also 200 high reliefs, complemented by colorful stained-glass windows that elegantly lighten the structure. Among the 164 large windows, 55 stained-glass story windows stand out, their vibrant colors animating well over 3,600 characters from the Gospels, the Old and New Testaments, and, of course, history itself.
This decorative ensemble never tires the eye and represents the finest creative expression of the many artists and masters who contributed to the artistic history of the Duomo and its city over six centuries.
The Rooftops of the Duomo are a unique feature that bestows a rare privilege upon the Cathedral: allowing itself to be explored almost entirely in an ongoing dialogue between earth and sky, making it one of the very few monumental structures with an almost fully walkable roof.
Stop 2
Bronze Doors and Stories in Marble
Admiring the façade during the second stop of our tour, we see its remarkable beauty divided by buttresses into five bays, framed by vertical ribs whose weight is borne by extraordinary atlantes.
From the square, simply running your eyes over the main facade conveys its sheer grandeur: 56 meters high and 67.9 meters wide, drawing the gaze upward while the large entrance portals open at its base.
There are five bronze doors, all created during the 20th century, a relatively recent period considering the façade was erected in 1813 following Napoleon's coronation inside the Duomo in 1805. It was during the 19th century that the façade was gradually completed as we know it today through a constant whirlwind of shifting tastes and ideas.
The central door was the first to be crafted, executed between 1906 and 1908, while the last was completed in 1965. Together, they represent an unprecedented display of bronze chasing work.
We then arrive at the majestic main spire, raised in 1769, an admirable feat of static balance and the peak of the complex architectural system of the lantern tower.
The spire, a symbol of both the Duomo and Milan itself, was also the first part of the Cathedral to undergo a major structural restoration, just 70 years after its completion.
Shining bright at the top is the famous Madonnina, depicting the Virgin of the Assumption made from 33 embossed copper plates. Standing 4.16 meters tall, the work is entirely covered in 6,750 leaves of pure gold leaf (equivalent to 337 grams) with a total weight of 984 kg. Yet the heaviest load the Madonnina carries is not that of copper and gold: for over two centuries, it has served as the symbol of the Duomo and the entire city of Milan, upon which it continues to cast its protective gaze.
Stop 3
Beneath the Duomo, Before the Duomo
A unique stop takes us beneath the Cathedral square to an area lesser-known to tourists. Exploring the Cathedral's underground level nearly 4 meters below the square reveals an invaluable archaeological site preserved from the original Early Christian and medieval complex. Excavations began in the 1940s to construct an air-raid shelter in the city center, which led to a welcome surprise in the early 1960s during the construction of the Milan subway.
These excavations brought to light the earliest construction phases of the two basilicas that preceded the great Duomo: Santa Tecla and Santa Maria Maggiore, along with the Baptistery of San Giovanni alle Fonti. Measuring an impressive 19.3 meters in diameter, it was here that Saint Ambrose baptized the future Saint Augustine on Easter Eve in 387 AD.
Visiting the Duomo’s archaeological area allows visitors to see the remains of the octagonal basin, once fully clad in precious marble and used on Easter Eve to welcome the rite of Baptism.
The subway excavations revealed two additional curiosities. First: the presence of a 9th-century burial site located directly between Santa Tecla and the baptistery. Numerous graves were discovered nearby, demonstrating how important it was for the deceased to be buried beside the sacred building. These burials even overlapped across multiple levels and mostly belonged to prominent church figures.
The second discovery was 222 small coins measuring about 1 centimeter, dating from the mid-4th to early 7th centuries, trapped in the perimeter channel of the Baptistery. Small coins carrying big stories, they offer us glimpses of devotion and humanity that lay waiting beneath our feet for centuries.
Stop 4
Light and Vertigo, from the Cathedral to the Museum
Inside, the Cathedral is magnificent. Step through one of the large doors for our fourth stop, and attention is immediately drawn to the central nave, which is twice as wide as the side aisles. The side aisles feature plaster vaults with simulated tracery, framing a forest of 52 towering pillars. As mentioned, these form a unique example with capitals crowned by statues of saints and prophets, guiding the eye toward the center of the main altar.
From here, the grand central window catches every eye, standing triumphantly over the large Raza flooded with light, a symbol of the sun of justice. Christian iconography merges seamlessly with a tribute to the House of Visconti, strategically displayed through a series of coats of arms placed right at the base of the rose window.
The light and play of colors streaming through the stained glass have the power to gather one's thoughts and pause time inside this ancient temple of beauty. This sensation continues inside the Duomo Museum, where our visit proceeds. We cross the small square of the Royal Palace (Palazzo Reale) and step inside.
Stop 5
Duomo Museum
Time feels almost suspended in this 2,100-square-meter space, where ancient sculptures have found an elegant sanctuary, acting as guardians of the Duomo's memory safe from the elements. Numerous replicas stand on the Cathedral's exterior to replace these original masterpieces, which can now be observed up close in lighting designed to bring out their finest details from the shadows.
Beyond statuary, the Museum offers a journey through 21 ground-floor rooms of the Palace, featuring glass art, wooden models, tapestries, paintings, and magnificent goldsmithing. This collection clearly demonstrates the cosmopolitan nature of the skills brought to the Duomo over time through alternating European and Lombard craftsmen at work in the Cathedral's great workshop.
To conclude the itinerary, a visit to the Church of San Gottardo in Corte is essential; once part of the Visconti Palace, it now serves as the final destination of the museum tour.
In Conclusion
If we were to stack all the architectural components of the Duomo vertically, from the foundation to the pillars, buttresses, small spires, lantern spires, and finally the main spire, we would reach a height of 5,300 meters, surprisingly exceeding Mont Blanc!
It is extraordinary to think how the Duomo—a masterpiece of human ingenuity, faith, and dedication, still seems eager to challenge the sky today!
Perhaps because, beyond numbers and records, el Dòm l’è semper il Dòm! (the Duomo will always be the Duomo!)
For Information:
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Duomo Info Point
Piazza del Duomo, right-hand corner of the façade (Palazzo Reale side)
Open daily: 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Tel. +39 02 72023375
info@duomomilano.it
