Cimitero Monumentale

Piazza Cimitero Monumentale, Milan, Italy

 

For those who feel up to it, this enormous complex is well worth a visit for both its historic and artistic value. The central building was designed by Maciachini and constructed from 1860 to 1897. It is in Neo-Medieval style with Tuscan, Venetian and Lombard touches. Showing a skilful use of various types of marbles and stones, it reflects the trend of the period of reviving Medieval Italian styles. It is set at the end of a wide avenue running from Porta Volta. The entrance takes you to the central part of the "Famedio" that houses the mortal remains of famous Milanese citizens (such as Cattaneo, Manzoni etc.), and that runs into two lateral arms on two levels, with further galleries that border the front square. The vast area behind includes an ossuary-building at the centre, and, further back, a small area for cremation. The sumptuous richness of the chapels and funeral monuments makes the cemetery a sort of "open-air museum of contemporary Italian statuary and architecture" (Mezzanotte). It has recently been enlarged with a "camouflage" system in Neo-Gothic brickwork, that has sparked off a lot of critical debate.

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