Endless Duomo

Milan’s famous cathedral was built with a beautiful but fragile marble, which must be periodically inspected and replaced. This has given rise to an endless workshop — a story worth telling

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Milan Cathedral conceals an endless workshop. In its underground labyrinths, masons, carpenters, woodworkers, sculptors and restorers have been working for centuries, without interruption.

It is an endless construction site precisely because the material from which the cathedral is built is finite: weak and fragile in the face of time. That material is marble, quarried since 1387 exclusively from the Candoglia quarries in Val d’Ossola, which the ancient Visconti family designated for the construction of one of Europe’s largest Gothic cathedrals.

Over the centuries, the marble crumbles, breaks and has to be replaced. For this reason, for more than six hundred years, the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo has been responsible — with meticulous regularity — for inspecting, restoring, replacing and newly sculpting the parts that need to be changed: arches, pillars, lunettes, and the 3,400 statues that adorn the cathedral’s spires and gargoyles, periodically “retired” and preserved in one of Milan’s most extraordinary and fascinating “cemeteries.”

Candoglia (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola), Fulvio Marta, 48 yo (centre) during the drilling of a hole in a marble block, an operation needed for the block to be cut. Behind him, Marco Farioli, 49 yo (left) and Raul Manini, 47.

Milan, stone cutters yard in the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo: the “cemetery” of the statues of the Duomo who have been replaced with identical new pieces.

Boffalora sopra Ticino (Milan): the “barchett” (little boat) of the historical society “La Piarda” sailing on the “naviglio”, the canal which was used to transport Candoglia’s marble until the Duomo in Milan.

Milan, stone cutters yard in the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo: tools to work the marble of Candoglia.

Milano, Duomo square: tourists taking pictures while, after a storm, a rainbow is standing above the Duomo.

Milan, Duomo: prelates leaving the crypt after the vespers prayer.

Candoglia (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola): Marco Farioli, 49 yo, watching some colleagues extracting a marble block from the quarry. Marco has been working in the Candoglia quarry for 24 years, and he’s one of the four managers of the place.

Milan, archive of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo: the authentic letter dated October 24th 1387 signed by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, the first Duke of Milan, commanding the marble for the Duomo to be extracted by the Fabbrica with no payments due.

Milan, Duomo: a worker of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo, Claudio Oldani, climbing down from the highest spire to check the condition of the marbles.

Gaggiano (Milan): dawn along the Naviglio Grande, the canal that was used to transport Candoglia’s marble until the Duomo in Milan.

Milan, Duomo terraces: some of the people attending the press conference introducing the artworks of Tony Cragg, exposed on the same terraces during the whole semester of Expo 2015.

Credits: photo-library of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo of Milan.

Marble blocks transported along highway E62 from the Ossola valley to Milan.

Milan, Duomo: the "Pueri Cantores" (children singers) of the Musical Chapel of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo preparing for a Sunday rite. The Musical Chapel is the oldest cultural institution of Milan, being active with no interruptions since 1402.

Milan, Duomo: cook Carmelo Santonocito, 55 yo from Catania, Sicily, laying the table for the workers of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo in the basement of the cathedral.

Milan, Duomo square from above with the apse of the cathedral.

Milan, Duomo square: glass snowballs with the Duomo on sale near the cathedral.

Milan, Duomo square: people waiting for a fashion show during Milan’s fashion week.

Milan, stone cutters yard in the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo: detail of decorated part of a new spire.

Milan, Duomo: believers praying and taking pictures during the ostentation of the Holy Nail of the True Cross of Jesus during the Rite of the Nivola. In Duomo’s apse, 40 meters up from the floor, tradition says a nail of the Holy Cross is preserved. During the rite, the Archbishop goes up to the relic in a framework decorated like a cloud (nivola), and take the nail down to the ground level, to have it seen from believers for 40 hours.

Milan, a subterranean pass between the Archbishops’ Curia and the Duomo. The "Pueri Cantores" (children singers) of the Musical Chapel of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo are going to the Duomo for a Sunday rite. The Musical Chapel is the oldest cultural institution of Milan, being active with no interruptions since 1402.

Milan, stone cutters yard in the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo: Angelo Castiglioni and Gino Giacomelli, manager of the yard, moving a statue destinated to the Duomo.

Stresa (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola), a boat sailing along the Isola Bella, one of the Borromean islands in the lake. The marble from Candoglia used to arrive to Milan by boat sailing on the river Toce, the lake Maggiore, the river Ticino and then the navigli, the artificial canals around Milan.

Milan, Duomo: singers of the Corale Giuseppe Verdi of Parma preparing for an exhibition on the terraces.

Milan, Duomo square: the cathedral and passers-by after the rain.

Candoglia (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola), a worker walking inside the enormous marble quarry.

Milan, Duomo square: an exhibition of the band “Giacomo Puccini” of Montevarchi (Arezzo).

Milan, Duomo museum: two tourists watching a statue previously exposed in the Duomo.

Milan, Duomo, men of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo at work on the terraces.

Candoglia (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola), marble is extracted from the Candoglia quarry for the Duomo building site. Credit: Photo Library Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano

Milan, Duomo museum: a statue of a capital made with Candoglia’s marble between the last decade of the 14th century and the first decade of the 15th.

Milan, working on one of the spires of the cathedral. Credit: Photo Library Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano

Milan, Duomo square: a rainbow above the Duomo after a storm.

Candoglia (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola): four workmen of the quarry undergirding a marble block to move it.

Milan, Duomo square: a tram going from Mazzini street to Orefici street.

Milan, stone cutters yard in the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo: a depository with old statues already replaced and some new ones.

Milan, Archbishops’ Curia: the "Pueri Cantores" (children singers) of the Musical Chapel of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo preparing for a Sunday rite. The Musical Chapel is the oldest cultural institution of Milan, being active with no interruptions since 1402.

Candoglia (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola): on the right, the four managers of the quarry during a break from an extraction job. On the left, some specialists of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo observing the quarry.

Milan, Duomo: a workman of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo posing before doing a sand job for a restore.

Milan, Duomo: actors of Rossini’s opera Mosè preparing for the show in the dressing room prepared behind the choir of the cathedral.

Milan, Duomo: an officer of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo going up to the cathedral from the archeological site of the Baptistery of San Giovanni alle Fonti and of the Basilica of Santa Tecla.

Candoglia (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola): Marco Fariola, 49 yo, exiting the small canteen after the lunch break with his colleagues. Marco has been working in the Candoglia quarry for 24 years, and he’s one of the four managers of the place.

Milan, Duomo: the Archbishop of Milan Angelo Scola during the Mass before the rite of the Nivola. In Duomo’s apse, 40 meters up from the floor, tradition says a nail of the Holy Cross is preserved. During the rite, the Archbishop goes up to the relic in a framework decorated with paper mache like a cloud (nivola), and take the nail down to the ground level to have it seen from believers for 40 hours.

Milan, Duomo: ostiarius Christian Vinci, 42 yo from Milan, preparing a prelate for the vespers prayer in the sacristy of the cathedral.

Candoglia (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola), one of the so-called ‘vie di lizza’, the stone roads - now abandoned in the woods - along which the heavy blocks of marble destined for Milan Cathedral were lowered to the Toce River by hand and with the use of ropes.

Milan, Duomo: a view of the columns of the five naves with the north arm of the transept.

Candoglia (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola): Marco Farioli, 49 yo, checking the marble blocks after their extraction from the quarry. Marco has been working in the Candoglia quarry for 24 years, and he’s one of the four managers of the place.

Milan, Duomo square: facade of the Duomo decorated during a video mapping show.

Candoglia (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola): the marble quarry of Candoglia, located on the mountains at the entrance of the Ossola valley.

Boffalora sopra Ticino (Milan), the ‘barchett’ of the Historical Association ‘La Piarda’ sails along the Naviglio, the waterway along which the Candoglia marble reached Milan Cathedral.

Milan, stone cutters yard in the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo: Gianni Calderino at work finishing a section of a spire.

Milan, Duomo: a view of the north transept with the spires and the flying buttressess.

Candoglia (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola): Raul Manini, 47 yo, posing in front of a marble wall in the quarry. Raul works here from 26 years.

Milan, Duomo: a view of the south transept with the spires and the flying buttressess.

Milan, Duomo, Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo workers at work setting up a concert stage on the Duomo terraces.

Milan, marble workers' yard of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo, Alessandro Tarantino at work as he prepares a piece of the spire.

Candoglia (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola): the four managers of the quarry during a break from an extraction job. From left: Raul Manini, 47 yo, Fulvio Marta, 48 yo, Marco Farioli, 49 yo and Gianpiero Bonomi, 47 yo.

Milan, Duomo, a child cantor of the Cappela Musicale della Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo walks along the choir with a teacher. The Cappella Musicale has been in continuous operation since 1402 and is the oldest cultural institution in the city.

Milan, Duomo: a tourist taking shots among the north flying buttresses.

Milan, Duomo square: a woman with her phone.

Milan, Duomo: the Archbishop of Milan Angelo Scola going up on board of the Nivola. In Duomo’s apse, 40 meters up from the floor, tradition says a nail of the Holy Cross is preserved. During the rite, the Archbishop goes up to the relic in a framework decorated with paper mache like a cloud (nivola), and take the nail down to the ground level, to have it seen from believers for 40 hours.

Milan, Duomo: workers of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo building the stage for some concerts on Duomo’s terraces.

Milan: the stone cutters yard in the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo, where sculptores, decorators and trimmers work.

Milan, Duomo, deacons prepare for the Nivola ritual. In the cathedral in fact, in the apse semicatinus, tradition has it that one of the nails from Christ's cross is preserved. The relic is picked up by the Archbishop and brought to the ground for 40 hours by climbing to a height of 40 metres with a cloud-shaped structure decorated in papier-mâché.

Milan, archive of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo: officer Roberto Fighetti searching for some documents.

Milan, Duomo, the site manager of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo, Francesco Aquilano, descends with a rope from the main spire to check the quality of the marble.

Milan, Duomo, on the terraces a singer of the Corale G.Verdi di Parma takes a photo before the performance.

Candoglia (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola), a phase of the detachment of a marble block in the Candoglia quarry.