Duomo Di Milano - Exploring Milan #1

MAJESTIC DUOMO DI MILANO

Duomo Di Milano is the most impressive Gothic structure at Piazza del Duomo located in the main city square of Milan, Italy’s fashion and fiscal capital.

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Its the fifth largest Christian church in the world. It is surrounded by shops, boutiques and little cafes and is accessible easily at the center of the city. Milan being the fashion capital, one can find some of the best brands and stores like Prada, Dolce Gabbana, and one of the worlds oldest shopping mall the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
Whether you are here for fashion, or museum tour or just for a walk, you cannot miss this structure standing tall and in the heart of the city.
The Gothic cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete Covering 109,641 square feet.

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During my time in Milan, I have spent many hours marveling at the Duomo, sitting there looking at the most incredible view, every angle is simply breathtaking, watching street performances, shopping around (more like window shopping) and eating gelatos.
I have visited The Duomo approximately seven times during my stay and every time I have tried taking pictures, but nothing could capture its marvelous beauty.

STREET PERFORMANCES AT PIAZZA DEL DUOMO

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Mark Twain wrote in The Innocents Abroad Source

What a wonder it is! So grand, so solemn, so vast! And yet so delicate, so airy, so graceful! A very world of solid weight, and yet it seems in the soft moonlight only a fairy delusion of frost-work that might vanish with a breath! How sharply its pinnacled angles and its wilderness of spires were cut against the sky, and how richly their shadows fell upon its snowy roof! It was a vision! — a miracle! — an anthem sung in stone, a poem wrought in marble!
Howsoever you look at the great cathedral, it is noble, it is beautiful! Wherever you stand in Milan or within seven miles of Milan, it is visible and when it is visible, no other object can chain your whole attention.

I cant think of better words to describe it.

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The construction of the Duomo di Milano initiated in 1386 on the site of the ancient basilicas of Santa Tecla and Santa Maria Maggiore, which were then demolished at a later date. Dedicated to Maria Nascente, the cathedral was commissioned by Gian Galeazzo Visconti and had a dual purpose: the plan was to replace the sites of worship in the heart of Milan with an imposing edifice and it was also intended to celebrate the Visconti Signoria and its ambitious expansion policy. It is the largest and most complex Gothic building in Italy, made of pink-veined white marble from the Candoglia quarries, in the Val d'Ossola. It is 157 meters in length and covers an area of 11,700 m2. The highest spire measures 108.5 and, in October 1774, the golden 4,16 meter-high statue of the Madonna by the sculptor Giuseppe Perego was placed on its pinnacle. Source

CATHEDRAL

If the outside is so grand and majectic , imagine the inside of this structure

The golden statue of the Madonna

Sculptures at Duomo Cathedral are a true work of art in themselves.

Statue of St Bartholomew Flayed by Marco d’Agrate

Stained glass windows are impressive depicting the biblical scenes. It was magical and a treat for the eyes. the light playing with the colorful windows making the whole place mysterious.