Archives and Restoration: six centuries of history in service to the Cathedral

The Veneranda Fabbrica's Archives preserve the Cathedral's history and, by association, that of the city which has changed around it: a story six centuries in the making that begins with the start of this great undertaking.

In this extraordinary collection of maps, logs, photos, and drawings preserved in the Archives, the Veneranda Fabbrica's intense work on and for the Duomo is meticulously documented: the choice of architects, disagreements regarding the structure, commissions given to artists, payments made to workers, reports on the restorations, and much more.

It is an enormous patrimony of accounts that is still to this day the primary foundation for the construction and restoration of the Cathedral: in fact, the most advanced technologies used on the monument are accompanied by research that gives the current work roots within the Veneranda Fabbrica's timeless journey.

Every project begins here.

Century after century, generation after generation, man's genius in service to the Monument has remained here as an indelible mark in time and, thanks to these documents, those who are now entrusted with overseeing the Fabbrica's renovations have a priceless source of knowledge from which to fill their cup, drawing upon the information necessary for their work, retracing the footsteps of a great past so as to build the Monument's future.