Milan Cathedral

About the Cathedral

Milan is the capital of Lombardy and Italy's fashion and financial capital, known for its magnificent Gothic cathedral and rich cultural heritage. The city combines historic architecture with modern Italian culture, featuring the iconic Duomo, La Scala opera house, and vibrant fashion district.

Construction of the Duomo di Milano began in 1386 under Archbishop Antonio da Saluzzo and Gian Galeazzo Visconti, and continued for nearly six centuries, with the facade completed under Napoleon's order in the early 1800s and the last gate installed in 1965. Its scale and unusually long building history tied it to the city's identity, as did the gilded copper statue of the Virgin, the Madonnina, placed on the tallest spire in 1774 and long treated as a guardian figure; an informal convention discouraged buildings from rising above her. Today the cathedral anchors Piazza del Duomo, the city's civic center, serves as the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, and receives millions of visitors each year.