SAINT OF THE BOREAS

North side Spire-G52

The North side of the Cathedral features this youth with a powerful physique, curly hair, eyes turned to the West, and right hand gesticulating as if he were talking to somebody, perhaps the crowd of people passing by below everyday. But while talking, he seems to be distracted, and turns his eyes elsewhere. The Borea wind blows on him, the icy winter wind that suddenly sweeps through valleys, causing sudden temperature drops. Ancient sailors said that the union of Astreo, titan of the stars, and of Eos, dawn, generated the stars and the three winds of the Mediterranean: Austro the south-east wind, Zephyr the west wind, and Borea the north wind. The latter is also called the father of Calaide and Zete, sailors who participated in the expedition of the Argonauts, wild dreamers who went in search of a fleece capable of healing all evil. Today this wind is also called Tramontana, and when sailors lose orientation, they speak of “losing the Tramontana”, the icy wind that whips faces and indicates the North, the landmark for every direction, especially for the way home. To date there is still no information about events related to the statue at Duomo di Milano’s marble worker’s site. However, Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano Archives are still conducting several studies, which have dated the production of this statue as the first quarter of the 19th century, hence in the early decades of the 1800s. Actually the muscular and yet harmonious body, the elegant folds of the drape that partly wrap it, and the gentle features seem consistent with the style adopted by workers at the time for their artistic works.