The Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano

The Duomo, a symbol of Milan all over the world, is one of the biggest Gothic cathedrals in Italy and in Europe. The heritage of the Milanese and of mankind, it has expressed for centuries, in all its grandeur, Man’s devotion to God and represents an ongoing commitment for the future generations.
According to a study conducted by the Chamber of Commerce of Monza and Brianza and Anholt Brand Index, the Milan brand is worth 400 billion Euro. The Duomo accounts for 82 billion of this figure.

Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano is the historic organisation responsible for preservation and restoration of the Cathedral. 
It was established in 1387 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then Duke of the city, for design and construction of the Cathedral, and it has been operating for over six hundred years to ensure the preservation and architectural and artistic restoration of the Duomo, safeguarding and providing services for the Cathedral’s religious activity and promoting the extraordinary heritage of art, culture and history which belongs to and is expressed by the symbol of Milan, identifying the resources necessary for its maintenance.

The daily activity of Veneranda Fabbrica is organised into five operating sectors:
♦ the Candoglia Quarries
♦ the Restoration Sites
♦ the Cathedral Museum
♦ the historical Archives and the Library
♦ the Cathedral Choir

With the development of a number of Cultural Activities in the Cathedral and on the Terraces, Veneranda Fabbrica has brought the Duomo back to the centre of Milanese cultural and social life, making visitors from Italy and from all over the world aware of the need to preserve, by continuous care, an artistic treasure of inestimable value that belongs to the whole of mankind.

From October 2012, the Veneranda Fabbrica launched a new fund raising campaign Get your Spire to sustain the most urgent structural work regarding 18 working sites including the Great Spires, 4 major spires, 129 minor spires, the falconature, re-design of the covering spans of the Duomo, and the restoration of the indoor spaces.
To face this huge undertaking and to complete all the restoration work in progress, “Get a spire” needs to collect 13,5 million euro, 6 million having already been collected, about which more than 600,000 € resulting from the public appeal.

The Cathedral numbers:
- 108.50 m – the height of the Madonnina from the ground
- 4.16 m – the height of the Madonnina
- 158.50 m – the external length
- 93 m – the external length
- 11,700 mq – the internal surface area
- 325,000 tons – the total weight of the 3,400 statues
- 200 bas-reliefs, over 3,600 characters in the 55 stained glass windows, 135 spires, 96 gargoyles

Visitor data
- about 5,000,000 – total number of visitors per year
- 75% – percentage of foreign visitors that come to Milan for the Duomo
- 4,500 – opening hours per year
- 110,000 – hours per year spent in restoration works