Milan Cathedral

Milan Cathedral — officially Cattedrale di Santa Maria Nascente — is a Roman Catholic cathedral at the heart of Milan and the seat of its archdiocese, ranking among the largest churches in the world by floor area at roughly 11,700 square metres. Construction began in 1386 in an Italian Gothic style using white Candoglia marble, yet the building remained unfinished for centuries: even at its consecration in 1572 the facade was incomplete, and it was Napoleon Bonaparte who finally pushed through its completion from 1805, reportedly to have a suitably grand backdrop for his coronation as King of Italy. The rooftop, bristling with 135 spires and crowned by the gilded Madonnina statue of 1774, is accessible by stairs or lift and offers sweeping views across Milan toward the Alps on clear days. The cathedral treasury inside holds relics and liturgical objects spanning nine centuries of Milanese church history.