“The Duomo, Milan’s quintessential symbol, is the first thing you seek when you rise in the morning and the last thing your gaze falls upon in the evening. It is said that the Milan Duomo comes second only to St. Peter’s in the Vatican. I cannot understand how it can be second to any other work executed by the hand of man.” More than a century ago, Mark Twain, captivated by the magnificence of the world’s largest Gothic cathedral, penned these words.
The writer was not wrong. The Duomo is not just a church; it is the city’s landmark. This makes us wonder: what would Milan be like without its greatest symbol?
The Cathedral’s Long History: Over Half a Century of Work
May 23, 1386. Gian Galeazzo Visconti initiated the mega-project of the Milan Duomo, built on the site of the old basilicas of Santa Maria Maggiore and Santa Tecla. Its construction lasted almost six centuries, concluding in 1965. The result was the creation of the largest church in Italy, and one of the largest in the world by internal area.
The Duomo speaks not only of faith or art but also tells us much about the city itself. It is the geographical and symbolic heart of Milan, a meeting point and reference for citizens and visitors. Its construction reflects Milan’s ability to continually reinvent itself. Looking at the Duomo, one perceives a Milan that invests in beauty and identifies with a monument that belongs to everyone. In this sense, the Duomo is the mirror of Milanese identity. But what would the city be like without its cathedral?
What in its Place? And What Would Be Milan’s Primary Symbol?
Without the Duomo, Milan would be a city with a completely different face: the piazza would lose its iconic heart, and in its place, there would likely be a large, more “modern” public space: an urban park or an institutional building.
The city’s culture would also be profoundly altered. The Duomo has influenced art, religion, social gatherings, and even the imagination of Milanese people. Without it, the city would likely have focused on other symbols to build its identity. The main point of reference might then be the Sforzesco Castle. Unless we imagine a revolutionary change in perspective: at that point, the true symbol of the city could be the icons of the new Milan, such as the skyscrapers of Porta Nuova or CityLife.
Milan’s New Super-Identity
Tourism would also suffer considerably from the absence of the Duomo: visiting it is, in fact, one of the main reasons people decide to come to Milan. Without the Gothic cathedral standing out among the buildings, Milan would risk appearing like any other metropolis, at least in terms of art, culture, and identity.
At this point, Milan’s identity as a city of fashion, design, and business would likely be even stronger. Who knows if this image could be projected even further into the world?
However, the issue of an iconic monument remains. Every great city has one. Paris has the Eiffel Tower, Rome has the Colosseum. And Milan without the Duomo? Great monuments are not just architectural works. They are the soul of cities, reference points that tell their story and embody their identity. So why not consider a Milan that, like Paris with the Eiffel Tower, and in the absence of the Duomo, creates a new, extraordinary, and imaginative work that becomes its new symbol?
Source: https://www.milanocittastato.it/milano/milano-senza-duomo-che-citta-sarebbe/
