Duomo, Milan: close-up of the pinnacles topped with statues

NOTES: The construction of the cathedral was begun in 1386, sponsored by Giovanni Galeazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan. The choir and transepts were completed c. 1450, and the nave and aisles completed up to the 6th bay by 1452. The octagonal cupola was completed in 1510, but the facade remained unfinished. Foundations for it were laid in the early 17th century and a new design produced by the chief architect Carlo Buzzi in 1649, but not carried out until the early 19th century, when in 1805 Napoleon Bonaparte ordered it to be completed. He was crowned king of Italy there in 1812. By 1856, most of the missing arches and spires had been added, giving the cathedral its distinct silhouette.