Architecture
Exterior
Milan Cathedral is second largest Gothic cathedral in the world by volume and area - only Seville Cathedral in Spain is larger.
Cathedral has the highest Gothic vaults (45 m) in the world, except for Beauvais Cathedral (48 m) - which is not completed.
Some more numbers: Milan Cathedral is 158 m long, it has 52 columns. Columns of nave are 24.5 m high.
135 spires rise above the cathedral, like a marble forest. These pinnacles are linked with flying buttresses, making the scene even more exciting.
Cathedral is adorned with some 3,400 statues. These statues have been made and donated by numerous sculptors, they have been made in numerous styles - starting from the Gothic style and ending up with Art Deco from the 20th century.
Roof of the cathedral can be visited - and few walks are comparable to this. Visitors are marveling at countless sculptures and incredibly thin marble columns high above the city.
Interior of Milan Cathedral, Italy
INTERIOR. THIS IS THE HIGHEST NAVE OF A COMPLETED GOTHIC CATHEDRAL IN THE WORLD - 45 M / ANPALACIOS, FLICKR / CC BY 2.0
Interior
While the exterior of the cathedral is light, ornate and inspiring, interior seems to be almost ascetic and rather dark.
Floor in the cathedral was designed by Pellegrino Tibaldi and made in 1584 - 1940. It is made from the white Candoglia marble with Varenna black marble and Arzo red marble.
The giant cathedral holds many values. To the believers most precios is The Holy Nail, reportedly from the True Cross. It hangs over the altar and is illuminated with red light.
Unusual and highly valued is the statue of St. Bartholomew Flayed, which was made by Marco D'Agrate in 1562. It looks ghostly and at the same time emits a weird energy. Cathedral has one of the largest organs in the world, it has valuable collection of sculptures and paintings.