Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Duomo Di Milano - The Second Largest Cathedral in the World


One of the most known buildings in the whole of Europe, the second largest Catholic Cathedral and the largest gothic Cathedral in the world is what describes Duomo di Milano. This cathedral is a massive and elaborate structural building that took five centuries to be completed. It is Milan's cathedral church that is located in Lombardy, at the northern region of Italy.

Duomo di Milano was built at the start of fifth century, while the adjoining basilica was added during the 836. However, a fire caught both buildings and it was rebuilt in 1075 and was then called as Duomo. In 1836, Archbishop Antonio da Saluzzo started a project that would create a Gothic cathedral - a style that is more of France characteristic than of Italy. The construction of the Cathedral coincided with appointment to power of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, the cousin of Archbishop Antonio da Saluzzo. The project was meant to be a reward to the noble men and ordinary people who suffered from the ruling of the tyrant Barnabò. When the news about the construction of the Duomo spread, Galeazzo and the archbishop collected large amount of donations from people. The construction was regulated under Fabbrica del Duomo, of which there were 300 employees were involved and was led by Engineer Simone da Orsenigo.

Before the construction began, Baptistry of 'St. Stephen at the Spring, the Ordinari Palace, the Archbishop's Palace, were demolished. The church of Sta. Maria on the other hand, was used as stone quarry. In 1762, the cathedral's main spire was topped with the statue of Madonna.

Several works by various engineers were added to give the Cathedral its gothic appearance. At present, the Cathedral stands 109 meters in high and 157 meters long and can accommodate 40,00 people in one seating.

Pollux Parker is an adventurer who loves discovering secret island getaways in each country he visits. Pollux also likes to collect Italian flag and buy cheap Italian flag.

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