Inside Milan Duomo - Stained Glass, Statues & History

The outside of the Duomo di Milano is a lacy, pink-marble wonder. The inside is a cavernous, solemn forest of stone. It is the largest church in Italy (St. Peter's is in the Vatican, technically) and can hold up to 40,000 people.

The Stained Glass Windows

The Duomo creates its own atmosphere with light. The windows are monumental.

• The Apse Windows: These are the largest in Christendom. They depict scenes from the Old and New Testaments.
• The Light: Depending on the time of day, the interior is washed in blues, reds, and golds.

St. Bartholomew Flayed

Wait, who is that guy draping a robe over his shoulder? Look closer. That is not a robe. That is his own skin. The statue of St. Bartholomew Flayed (San Bartolomeo Scorticato) by Marco d'Agrate is a masterpiece of Renaissance anatomy and a slightly macabre attraction. The saint carries his skin like a cloak, revealing every muscle and vein underneath. It is said that the sculptor was so proud of his knowledge of anatomy that he inscribed the pedestal: "Non me Praxiteles, sed Marcus finxit Agrat" ("Praxiteles did not make me, but Marco d'Agrate did").

The Sundial

On the floor near the entrance, you will see a brass strip running across the nave. This is a solar meridian line laid in 1786.

• How it works: At solar noon, a beam of light enters through a small hole in the ceiling (the gnomon) and hits the brass line.
• Purpose: It was used to regulate the clocks of the city.

The Holy Nail (Santo Chiodo)

High above the altar, marked by a red light bulb, sits one of the True Nails from the Crucifixion. Once a year, in September, the Archbishop ascends in a cloud-painted elevator (the "Nivola") to retrieve it for veneration.