The Duomo in Monza

Above the portal there is a lunette with an ancient bassorilievo. The Façade It was completed by Matteo da Campione in the 14th century and restored by Luca Beltrami in the years 1889-1908. It is divided into five parts by buttresses and decorated with a rose window. Above the portal there is a lunette with an ancient bassorilievo.

The Interior It is divided into three parts, a nave and two aisles, by six cylindrical pillars and six octagonal pillars.The interior is in Baroque style. On the walls there are some paintings which date back to the 18th century. The interior of the Duomo is enriched by the presence of several chapels, among them Teodolinda’s chapel which is to the left of the high altar.

Teodolinda’s Chapel On the left of the presbitery there is Teodolinda’s chapel. The frescoes by the Zavattari family date back to the years 1442-1446. The cycle celebrates Teodolinda’s life in 45 scenes.

The frescoes lack perspective, the figures seem flat and big. In these frescoes Teodolinda always wears purple dresses, while Autari is dressed in blue, they both have the crown. All the characters do not wear clothes of the Longobard epoch, but of the Renaissance when the Zavattari frescoed the chapel. The sky is decorated with golden leaves. The silver in the frescoes has turned into grey.

In the chapel there is the Iron Crown. In 590, Teodolinda, wife of the Longobard king Agilulf, helped Pope Gregory the Great in converting the Longobards to Christianity and for this act the Pope sent her a “true nail” taken from the Cross. This was incorporated into a crown which was used to crown the kings of the Longobards and, later, of Italy. It is composed of six rectangular golden plates made precious by gems and enamels.

Treasure of the Cathedral From the aisle on the left it is possible to enter the museum where there is the treasure of the cathedral with a lot of precious items. The hen and its chicks: the hen has a wooden soul, covered with gold and silver. The hen’s eyes are two rubies and the chicks’ eyes are precious stones. The hen and the chicks have been made with different techniques.The hen is more realistic than the chicks, it may have been produced by the Romans, while the chicks were probably added later by the Longobards.

The hen represents Teodolinda, while the chicks are the seven centres of the Longobard reign; The hen is the Catholic Church and the chicks are the seven sacraments; The hen is the Catholic Church and the chicks are the believers; The hen is the Duomo in Monza and the chicks are the seven churches that depend on Monza. This object has four meanings:

The cross of Agilulf is a typical Longobard cross and it is decorated on both sides. The golden hangings represent buds of flowers. The cross of Berengario was worn by the kings crowded with the Iron Crown. In its amethyst the goddess Diana is carved. The Longobards used to fill up the precious objects with a lot of stones because they were afraid of emptiness.

BIBLIOGRAPHY L. Caramel, M.Mirabella Roberti, L’arte dall’età romana al rinascimento, Tomi I – II, il Polifilo Dizionario dell’arte Il duomo di Monza Invito a Monza, opuscolo illustrativo La basilica di San Giovanni Battista in Monza, a cura di Mons.Ernesto Besadonna Il duomo di Monza 1300-2000, VII centenario della fondazione, Silvana Editoriale www.google.it www.virgilio.it

Produced by: El Oden Sara, Mariani Corinna, Felice Federica, Trabattoni Ilaria, Patruno Valentina, Munno LucyAnne, Asnaghi Letizia, Caglio Elisa