Your support for the Duomo di Milano
Thank you to all the Donors who have supported us in the past year, sharing together the challenges of 2020
Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano would like to thank all those who have decided to support the restoration of the Cathedral in the past year by giving a donation or by buying solidarity gifts from the Duomo Shop.Whatever the type of support, it is a choice that has shown great affection for the Cathedral, heritage of all humanity and a source of inspiration for the faithful and visitors alike for more than six centuries.
2020 promises to be an intense year and the Duomo workshop has already started working energetically to lay the foundations for the numerous new restoration projects. Included amongst these is undoubtedly the delicate conservation work on the Great Organ. At the moment, the restoration is focussing on the casings and precious wooden parts, currently underway at the Quartana Restoration Studio. Here we can find all the parts of the lower choir, the panels and the caryatids, all ready to be cleaned so as to restore the beauty of the original varnish, for a long time occluded by a dark coat applied during the Mannerist period to camouflage the reconstructed parts.
The panels are to be cleaned using laser technology as they are delicate, thus avoiding the application of solvents that could damage the surface. The strength of the laser is also variable: always starting with a diffuser (also used for gilding), various lenses are tested until reaching the convergent lens, which is the most powerful. The beam also allows for the cleaning of the undercuts by thermal ablation, vaporizing the material to be removed, such as oils and waxes used in previous maintenance, without overheating the support. The last phase of the cleaning includes the mechanical finishing of the carvings by using scalpels, tweezers and sponges.
The removal of impurities from the caryatids is conducted by using a mixture of odourless and non-aggressive gel, removing the dark colouration without affecting the original paint. The finishing is done using laser technology. For this finishing, both panels and caryatids will be protected and polished with a wax obtained by processing honeycomb before being authorised by the Superintendence.
Renovations at Duomo di Milano will never stop; hence, your practical and generous help will be increasingly essential every day. Donate now and support our fund collection projects
For additional information:
Donations Office
Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
Via Carlo Maria Martini, 1 – 20122 Milan
Opening hours to the public:
Monday - Friday: 9.30 am - 12.30 pm and 2.30 pm - 6.00 pm
Toll free number: 800.528.477
Fax: 02.72022419
donazioni@duomomilano.it