My fiancée pointed out to me that I gave a lot of detail to the outside of the Duomo, and almost none to the inside of it. So, here is a little more detail on the interior of the cathedral.
First thing I want to talk about it structure. This cathedral, like many other Italian Gothic style cathedrals, is comprised of 4 parts: nave, transept, choir, and apse.
Another characteristic that is in all of the Italian Gothic cathedrals are the groin vaults which continue with vaulting ribs. Here they are, and they’re gorgeous!
The stained glass in the Duomo di Milano depicts biblical stories. There are multiple segments of stained glass above many altars along the sides of the nave of the cathedral.
Below is The Funerary Monument of Gian Giacomo Medici di Marignano. It was constructed out of marble and fitted with bronze statues. Gian Giacomo Medici was the brother of Giovanni Angelo Medici, later elected Pope Pius IV. He fled from Milano early in his life because of a murder/revenge plot that later came to light. He settled around Lake Como and created a brigade of loyal soldiers. He married Marzia Orsini, a women of Italian Noble decent. Because of his status with the Pope and Italian Noble families, upon his death, he was buried in the Duomo in Milano.
The next two statues are located inside the Duomo. I covered these in previous blog posts. So if you’ve forgotten, click this link.
If you’re planning a trip to Milano, try to get to the Duomo early in the morning. The closer to the time the open the doors, the less people that are likely to be there. We went about an hour after it opened, and there was barely a line and hardly anyone walking around us. It made the cathedral a better experience for me than the Vatican for this very reason. So there’s a tip for your next visit to Milano!
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