[DO NOT PUBLISH] Main Door of Milan Duomo (1884/1908) by Ludovico PogliaghiVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
The Five Doors
Construction of the Duomo doors were first mentioned in 1582, during the time when Pellegrino Pellegrini, aka Tibaldi, was Veneranda Fabbrica Architect. The completion of the doors visible today dates back to several years after that time, following finalization of the façade.
Façade of the DuomoVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
The tympanums
Of great interest are the reliefs inserted in the tympanums of the doors, made of Carrara marble. In the central one, the large tile depicts the Creation of Eve, by Gaspare Vismara. The side doors commemorate heroines from the Bible.
[DO NOT PUBLISH] Main Door of Milan Duomo (1884/1908) by Ludovico PogliaghiVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
The high reliefs form a cornice for the doors themselves: all five designed with two door knockers, these were some of the last components inserted onto the façade, finished in the middle of the 20th century.
Joy and Sorrow of the Virgin Mary
The Main Door, finished in 1906, was made by the sculptor Ludovico Pogliaghi based on the measurements of the neo-gothic portal in the façade design by Brentano in 1888, adapted to the preserved Pellegrini cornice. This door is therefore the only remaining piece of evidence of an architecture that was never completed.
The theme represented is the Joy and Sorrow of the Virgin Mary, to whom the Cathedral is dedicated.
The precious modelling of the figures gives great vitality to the artwork, a homage by the sculptor to the great tradition of the Renaissance. At the same time, Pogliaghi inserted sculptural subjects within a small neo-gothic architectural section containing decorative elements reminiscent of the coeval Liberty Style.
[DO NOT PUBLISH] Constantine's 313 Edict of Milan (1935/1948) by Arrigo MinerbiVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
Constantine's 313 Edict of Milan
The first door on the left is the work of Arrigo Minerbi, inaugurated in 1948. It is an expressive bronze which narrates the spread of Christianity and the events witnessed by the first Christians until they were granted freedom of worship in Milan, by the Emperor Constantine in 313 BCE. The six characters depicted at the base are Milanese bishops preceding the Edict of Constantine.
Constantine's 313 Edict of Milan (1948) by Arrigo MinerbiVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
[DO NOT PUBLISH] The Life of Saint Ambrose (1950) by Giannino CastiglioniVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
The Life of Saint Ambrose
The Milanese sculptor Giannino Castiglioni worked on the second door on the left, inaugurated in 1950. The bronze reliefs feature the religious and political work of Saint Ambrose, the Holy Bishop, and Patron Saint of Milan.
The contribution of the Milanese Church in the formation of a free city and to the Crusades (1950) by Franco LombardiVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
The Duomo's third minor door, looking at the façade from the left, was commissioned in 1937 to the sculptor Franco Lombardi. The last four tiles were completed by Virgilio Pessina following the death of the artist.
[DO NOT PUBLISH] The contribution of the Milanese Church in the formation of a free city and to the Crusades (1937/1950) by Franco LombardiVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
The contribution of the Milanese Church
The bronze door illustrates the civil and religious affirmation of the Municipality of Milan during the clashes with the German empire and Frederick Barbarossa up until the Galdino era.
[DO NOT PUBLISH] The splendour of the Duomo (1964) by Luciano MinguzziVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
The Splendour of the Duomo
The last door on the right was completed in 1965 by Luciano Minguzzi. The theme represents 12 significant episodes from the Duomo's foundation to the time of Saint Charles Borromeo. The dynamic composition is characterized by tones of intense drama which the sculptor has expertly crafted using bold and highly chiaroscuro markings.
The splendour of the Duomo (1965) by Luciano MinguzziVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
View of the Duomo, façadeVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
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