ST. FELIX (SPIRE OF MILANESE PEOPLE)

15 NovemberSpire on the South walkway-G64

San Felice’s figure is related to the events of many martyrs in history who go by this name. One of the most widely remembered is certainly San Felice, Bishop of Nola, whose story is told by the statue on Spire G16 of the façade. But there are also other saints with the same name, some of whom are martyrs remembered by the Christian community for the exceptional courage in professing their faith in times of persecution. Other saints called San Felice were Popes and Saints born and bred in various parts of the world. Perhaps some were soldiers and legionaries, as suggested by the clothes of this statue. We have no idea which of the many San Felice it is; however, we are certain that it was placed at the top of Duomo di Milano to protect all the other statues located before the main spire, the golden virgin stands out in the sky, blessing passers-by and residents. The statue of San Felice was made by Gigi Supino in 1953-1956. In fact, the terracotta scale model studies of the statue in the same position and with the same clothes, with at the base the engraved name “Supino”, have been preserved. Consistently with these scale models, the final San Felice is portrayed as a gladiator, as the one who was sent to fight the beasts in the Roman arena to entertain the audience. The uplifted right hand originally held a crucifix, the symbol of Christianity.