Duomo in Milan

The Duomo in Milan, also known as Duomo di Santa Maria Nascente in the Italian language, is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan.
With an area of 1,200 square metres , the Milanese cathedral is one of the iconic images of Italy and Europe and it is the third largest Roman Catholic church edifice in Italy, after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and Florence's Santa Maria Cathedral . A totally unique treasure of the Gothic architecture, the cathedral of Milan has a capacity of 40,000 seats and a length of 157 m.
The Milan Cathedral is one of the occidental cathedrals that was built over several centuries. Commenced in 1386 and finished in 1892 due to delays, it dominates today the central square of Milan, being a symbol of the economic power that this capital of Lombardy, gateway to trades that cross the Alps, has been for centuries. The majesty and the esthetic forms of the cathedral are talking for themselves: the sculptural details of the 135 towers , of which the highest reaches 109 meters , and more than 2000 statues are carefully executed , as well as the large windows of the building, considered to be the largest in the world.
The construction of the cathedral began in 1386 at the initiative of Archbishop Antonio de Saluzzo and it has a late Gothic French style rather than Italian . Work has continued for centuries, the main tower adorned in 1762 with a polychrome statue of the Virgin Mary, to whom it was dedicated from the beginning dome Milan . The interior is not any less striking . Five gigantic naves separated by artistic carved stone pillars are framed by stained glass windows made ​​with great craftsmanship. The apse, the oldest part of the cathedral includes three windows in the shape of roza , made ​​by Filippino of Modena , in a way that reveals the complexity of the XIV-th century. The middle window is one of the largest apse windows in the world.Less