"Milan Cathedral"

The cathedral is the 4th largest in the world and the second-largest church in Europe behind Saint Peter’s Cathedral in Vatican City. Construction of it started in the year 1386 and took 579 years to complete as the final touches were only completed in the year 1965. Because of this, it was completed in different architectural styles, dominated by the Gothic and Renaissance styles. These elements give the cathedral its distinctive appearance which has both been praised and questioned.

The Archbishop of Milan between 1564 and 1584 named Carlo Borromeo was the first to attempt to completely redesign the cathedral. This was an attempt to subdue the Gothic elements that weren’t popular anymore and replace them with Renaissance-style design features.

In this period, the façade of the cathedral was shaped, a construction phase that would continue until the year 1638 and included five portals and two middle windows.

The Madonnina’s spire, one of the most prominent elements of the cathedral, was constructed in the year 1762 and eventually reached a height of 356 feet. The spire is decorated with an amazing polychrome statue referred to as the “Madonnina.” This statue was created by famous Italian Baroque artist Francesco Croce in 1764 and has been one of the most fascinating features of the cathedral ever since.

The completion of the façade was initiated by Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon was crowned as the King of Italy in 1805 at the Cathedral with the Iron Crown of Lombardy, just 6 days after he gave the command to complete the façade. The financial support he promised for this project never came.