situate almost in the centre, and occupying part of the great square
of the city. It is of Gothic architecture, and its materials are white
marble. In magnitude this edifice yields to few in the universe.
Inferior only to the Vatican, it equals in length, and in breadth
surpasses, the cathedral of Florence and St. Paul's; in the interior
elevation it yields to both; in exterior it exceeds both; in fretwork,
carving, and statues, it goes beyond all churches in the world, St.
Peter's itself not excepted. Its double aisles, its clustered pillars,
its lofty arches; the lustre of its walls; its numberless niches all
filled with marble figures, give it an appearance novel even in Italy,
and singularly majestic. The admirer of English Gothic will observe
one peculiarity, which is, that in the cathedral of Milan there is no
screen, and that the chancel is entirely open, and separated from the
nave only by its elevation.
The pillars of the cathedral of Milan are more than ninety feet in
height, and about eight in diameter. The dimensions of the church
at large are as follow:--In length four hundred and ninety feet, in
breadth two hundred and ninety-eight, in interior elevation under the
dome two hundred and fifty-eight, and four hundred in exterior, that
is to the summit of the tower. The pavement is formed of marble of
different colours, disposed in various patterns and figures. The number
of niches is great, and every niche has its statue, which, with those
placed on the ballustrade of the roof, are reported to amount to more
than four thousand. Many among them are said to be of great merit. Over
the dome rises a tower or spire, or rather obelisk, for its singular
shape renders it difficult to ascertain its appellation, which, whatever
may be its intrinsic merit, adds little either to the beauty or to the
magnificence of the structure which it surmounts. This obelisk was
erected about the middle of the last century, contrary to the opinion
of the best architects. Though misplaced, its form is not in itself
inelegant, while its architecture and mechanism are extremely ingenious,
and deserve minute examination. In ascending the traveller will observe,
that the roof of the church is covered with blocks of marble, connected
together by a cement, that has not only its hardness and durability, but
its colour, so that the eye scarcely perceives the juncture, and the
whole roof appears one immense piece of white shining marble. The view
from the summit is extensive and even novel, as it includes not only the
city and the rich plain of Milan, intersected with rivers and canals,
covered with gardens, orchards, vineyards, and groves, and thickly
studded with villages and towns; but it extends to the grand frame of
this picture, and takes in the neighbouring Alps, forming a magnificent
semicircle and uniting their bleak ridges with the milder and more
distant Apennines.
The traveller, says Eustace, will regret as he descends, that instead of
heaping this useless and cumbersome quarry upon the dome, the trustees
of the edifice did not employ the money expended upon it in erecting a
front, (for that essential part is still wanting,) corresponding with
the style and stateliness of this superb temple. A front has indeed been
begun, but in a taste so dissimilar to that of the main building, and
made up of such a medley of Roman orders and Gothic decorations, that
the total suspension of such a work might be considered as an advantage,
if a more appropriate portal were to be erected in its place. But
unfortunately the funds destined for the completion and repair of this
cathedral are now swallowed up in the general confiscation. Had it been
finished, and the western front built in a style corresponding with the
other parts, the admirers of the Gothic style would have possessed one
specimen perfect in its kind, and accompanied with all the advantages
of the best materials, set off by a fine climate.
In materials, the cathedral of Milan surpasses all the churches of the
universe, the noblest of which are only lined and coated with marble,
while this is entirely built, paved, vaulted, and roofed with the same
substance, and that of the whitest and most resplendent kind. The most
remarkable object in the interior of this church is the subterranean
chapel, in which the body of St. Charles Borromeo reposes. It is
immediately under the dome, in form octangular, and lined with silver,
divided into panels representing the different actions of the life of
the saint. The body is in a shrine of rock crystal, on, or rather behind
the altar; it is stretched at full length, drest in pontifical robes,
with the crosier and mitre. The face is exposed, very improperly,
because much disfigured by decay, a deformity increased and rendered
more hideous by its contrast with the splendour of the vestments which
cover the body, and by the pale ghastly light that gleams from the
aperture above. The inscription over this chapel or mausoleum, was
dictated by St. Charles himself, and breathes that modesty and piety
which so peculiarly marked his character. It is as follows:
CAROLUS CARDINALIS
TITULI S. PRAXEDIS
ARCHIEP. MEDIOLAN.
FREQUENTIORIBUS
CLERI POPULIQ. AC
DEVOTI FAEMINEI SEXUS
PRECIBUS SE COMMENDATUM
CUPIENS HOC LOCO SIBI
MONUMENTUM VIVENS ELEGIT.
Of the statues crowded in and around this edifice many are esteemed, and
some admired. Of the latter, that of St. Bartholomew is the first; it
stands in the church, and represents the apostle as holding his own
skin, which had been drawn off like drapery over his shoulders. The play
of the muscles is represented with an accuracy, that rather disgusts and
terrifies than pleases the spectator.[1] The exterior of the chancel is
lined with marble divided into panels, each of which has its _basso
relievo_; the interior is wainscoted, and carved in a very masterly
style. The whole of the chancel was erected by St. Charles Borromeo.
[1] The following lines are inscribed on its pedestal, in Latin,
and in English:--
Lest at the sculptor doubtfully you guess,
'Tis Marc Agrati, not Praxiteles.
This statue is reckoned worth its weight in gold.
In describing this magnificent cathedral, we have availed ourselves of
abridging the description in Eustace's "Classical Tour," a work of high
authority and sterling value on all subjects connected with the Fine
Arts.
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