The Duomo in Milan – the huge marble cathedral that dominates the city – contains many artefacts and works of art. I wasn’t expecting to see the astrological signs on the floor of the cathedral.
I spent quite some time wandering around the vast cathedral one Saturday morning. Imposing columns – there are 52, one for each week of the year – dominate your field of vision. I wandered around the place following tourists and enjoying the moment until I reached the back of the building once more.
On the ground, running along the marble floor from one end to another, were the zodiac signs.
This surprised me because the zodiac does not have any religious connotations.
The signs are in black on white marble and run along a brass strip set in the floor. This was a meridian and is also Europe’s largest sundial. It was laid out in the late eighteenth century. A hole in the ceiling lets sunlight shine through along the meridian. At the time of the solar noon, sunlight shines on the current astrological sign. The sundial used to be accurate enough for the city’s clocks to be set by it. It no longer is as precise as that due to changes in the Earth’s axis. Italians used this meridian as the prime reference for astronomy and timing for a hundred years.
(Until the British installed the Prime Meridian in Greenwich)
This explains what it is – but why is it in a Catholic Church to start off with?
The Duomo has a chequered background as a location that is both pagan and religious. Legend has it that Lord Visconti of Milan started building it after Satan popped round for a chat. Satan ordered the nobleman to build a satanic church for him, threatening his soul with eternal damnation. Lord Visconti came up with the idea of the cathedral and got to work. To make Satan believe that he was building a satanic one, he designed a church in a Gothic style.
Apparently the Devil is not much of an art connoisseur.
The city continued to develop the church over the centuries. It was consecrated in the fourteenth century but was far from complete. In the eighteenth century Napoleon ordered the city to complete it for his coronation as King of Italy1.
The result? A huge imposing gothic structure that is as religious as it is pagan, and which is the top thing to visit when in Milan.
Just keep an eye open for the things you wouldn’t expect to see.
What other non-religious symbols have you seen in religious buildings?
- 7 fun facts about the Milan cathedral; The Not-so-innocents abroad; 2017-08-14[↩]