ART AND CULTURE.

The five curiosities you didn't know about the Madonnina del Duomo in Milan

The city of Milan, the regional capital of Lombardy in Italy, has various symbols that make it world-famous. From La Scala Theatre to San Siro, from the Castello Sforzesco to Navigli, a famous place for youth nightlife. 

But none of this represents Milan like its Duomo, the cathedral that stands in the city's main square. Inside the symbol, however, is another symbol, namely the Madonnina, a gilded copper statue atop the cathedral's highest spire, which for the Milanese now represents the city in every way. Expressions like 'in the shadow of the Madonnina' are now phrases that all Milanese feel are their own.

We certainly haven't told you anything new so far, but would you like to know these five little trivia facts about the symbol of the city of Milan? Discover them with us.

Wikipedia.org
The five curiosities you didn't know about the Madonnina del Duomo in Milan
The city of Milan, the regional capital of Lombardy in Italy, has various symbols that make it world-famous. From La Scala Theatre to San Siro, from the Castello Sforzesco to Navigli, a famous place for youth nightlife. But none of this represents Milan like its Duomo, the cathedral that stands in the city's main square. Inside the symbol, however, is another symbol, namely the Madonnina, a gilded copper statue atop the cathedral's highest spire, which for the Milanese now represents the city in every way. Expressions like 'in the shadow of the Madonnina' are now phrases that all Milanese feel are their own.
Di Ulrich Mayring - photo taken by Ulrich Mayring, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/ind
What exactly does the Madonnina
All right, she is a Madonna, we all know that, but there are many Madonnas in the religious world. So, which episode in the life of Mary does the Madonnina del Duomo represent? Specifically, it is a representation of the Madonna Assunta (the Assumption), the moment when Mary, mother of Jesus, ascended to heaven at the moment of her death, body and soul.
NahidSultan - Wikipedia.org
A particular law of Milan
Tradition has it that no building in Milan can be taller than the Madonnina. A law, made official in the 1930s, prevented Gio Ponti's Branca Tower and Velasca Tower from exceeding the fateful 108.5 metres out of respect for the Madonnina. In reality this is just a legend. The Pirelli skyscraper, the seat of the Regional Council of Lombardy, is 127 metres high and is therefore taller than the Madonnina. To respect tradition, a copy of the Madonnina was made and placed on top of the skyscraper. In 2010, the copy was moved, placing it on top of the Palazzo Lombardia, the seat of the Lombardy Regional Council, at a height of 161 metres.
Dimitri Kamaras - Flirck.com
It was covered during the Second World War
The Madonnina did not witness the horrors of the Second World War, which saw Italy first sided with Germany and then with the Allies (British, French, American). In fact, in August 1939, on the eve of the Second World War, the Madonnina was covered with a grey-green cloth and remained so for five years, to avoid providing an easy target for fighter-bombers. The unveiling took place on 6 May 1945 with a solemn ceremony by Cardinal Schuster, then Archbishop of Milan.
Di Lalupa - Opera propria, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68719370
The anthem of the Madonnina
Perhaps not many people outside Milan know that, for the Milanese, the Madonnina has a real anthem, composed by Giovanni D'Anzi in 1934. Of course, it is not a real official hymn, but in the hearts of the Milanese it is nothing less. Here's how it does it, written in Milanese dialect: 'O mia bella Madonnina, che te brillet de lontan, tutto d'ora e piscinina, ti te dòminet Milan; sòtt a ti se vivta la vitta, se sta mai coi mani in man, canten tucc "lontan de Napoli se moeur" ma poeu vegnen chi a Milan'. "Oh my beautiful Madonnina, shining from afar, all gold and tiny you dominate Milan; underneath you life is lived, you never stay with your hands in your hands, everyone sings "far from Naples you die" but then they come here to Milan".
Di © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32
In Milan there are four Madonnine
Since the Milanese like traditions, these are always respected. So, on Sunday 22 November 2015, a perfect copy of the Madonnina was placed on top of the Isozaki tower, 209.2 metres high, just as per Milanese tradition, on what has become the highest roof in the city of Milan.
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