The Archangel Gabriel has always been one of the most important figures of Christianity as well as a direct messenger of God – his name in Aramaic means “strength of God”. Described in the Holy Scriptures as “he who stands before the Lord”, he is also the main messenger: it is, in fact, the Archangel Gabriel who announces to Daniel the secrets of the Creator’s plan, informing him on how the full restoration will take place thanks to the coming of the Messiah; he also announced the birth of the Baptist to Zechariah and Elizabeth. He is entrusted with the most important task of all: communicating the coming of Christ to Mary and the whole world. For this reason it also enjoys particular importance in the Muslim religion.

The tales of the statue in Dome’s building site:

The statue, today visible on the spire on the outside of the left side of the apse, was commissioned in 1940 from Vitaliano Marchini, an important Lombard sculptor who directed the Duomo’s school of marble workers for 4 years, as well as being a teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera.

Thanks to some images found in the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo photo library, we know that there is an engraving at the base of the statue which confirms the attribution of the statue.