A GAZE AT CONSTRUCTION SITES OF MILAN DUOMO
Thanks to all donors who supported the Cathedral restoration works during 2024
Another year has passed under the shade of the Cathedral. Twelve months in which some of the most urgent maintenance works have been carried out aimed at guaranteeing not only the prayer and tourist activities but also the safety of the Cathedral. Thanks to the generous support of our donors and to those who care about the protection of the Duomo, many important goals have been achieved.
BEAUTY IS IN THE GIVING.
THANK YOU!
THE INTERIORS
One of the most important maintenance works concern the restoration of the Tiburio, whose conclusion is finally coming to an end. The cleaning of the inner surfaces of the dome has been going on for months; special structural maintenance was also carried out on the East and North Arches, which were the most damaged ones, along with the reinforcement and maintenance of the sixty statues that decorate the four arches.
Located in the apse area, the Chapter Sacristy was amongst the first areas of the Cathedral to be built. Some urgent work has already become necessary with the installation of a net to protect from small fragments of stone and plaster falling from above. This circumstance confirms the absolute necessity to work on restoring this area of the Duomo, daily frequented by staff members. Restoration involves the whole space, with particular attention to the marble elements and the murals on the vaults, which are in a far gone state of degradation. Indeed, some of the first work carried out in 2023 involved the vault decorations: within 12 months, workers cleaned the 8 rib vaults and their marble ribbing from the convenient scaffolding installed.
At the base of Tiburio, in the presbytery area, the last phase of the restoration site of the North Twentieth Century Organ is also completed.
THE EXTERNAL WORKS
A team of architects, in collaboration with Politecnico di Milano, has reproduced the texture of the Cathedral’s marble thanks to Cromatica technology, aiming at integrating the service spaces at the disposal of tourists and those related to the construction site, in a context of absolute art and beauty. Each panel is the result of a study of the original architectural structure and a faithful photographic reproduction of the technical drawings. Taking advantage of these photo-reproductions and through innovative graphics programs, it was possible to divide the facade into small portions and make samples that would allow the most appropriate one to be chosen. Once the final design was selected, Marcegaglia moved on to the printing stage, which was carried out by the enterprise itself at their plant located in Ravenna.
Renovation of Spire 17 has also begun, one of the spires located in the apse area of the Duomo, on the east side, where significant structural work is also being carried out to contain the load of the vaulted structures, more pronounced in the apse than in any other part of the Cathedral. The spire is dedicated to one of the most famous martyr in the city of Milan: Saint Victor.
Restoring operations also involved the walls, where the Large Windows 101, 102 and 103 are located, and the rear spires G1/G7, the elements that are needed to complete the restoration of the highest and most exposed parts on the south side of the Duomo and on its south-west corner. Work has probably not been carried out on this architecture since the late 19th century (no documentation regarding this has been found in the Archive dating back to the last century). The slender pillars of the large windows are deeply corroded, with vegetation now thriving between the ashlar junctures and in correspondence with the points where sediment collects; the covering ashlars themselves show signs of instability in numerous points, making that section of the terraces inaccessible to the public for now.
Donation Office
Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
Via Carlo Maria Martini, 1 – 20122 Milano
Numero verde: 800.528.477
[email protected]
