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The Basilica of the Duomo contains, inside, a beautiful sundial, even if

Piazza del Duomo, 20122 Milano MI, Italia ★★★★☆ 151 views
Simona Illy
Milano
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The Basilica of the Duomo contains, inside, a beautiful sundial, even if - Milano | Secret World Trip Planner

The Basilica of the Duomo contains, inside, a beautiful sundial, unfortunately no longer functional due to artificial lighting. Near the entrance of the Duomo, in fact, there is a sundial with the symbol of Capricorn, consisting of a brass strip embedded in the floor that crosses the nave and goes up for three meters on the left wall to the north. On the south-facing wall, at a height of almost 24 metres from the floor, there is a hole through which, at solar noon, a ray of light is projected onto the strip of floor. In order to avoid that on some days of the year the hole through which the light enters ends up in shadow, the marble arch is missing on the south side of the church. On either side of the metal line are marble slabs indicating the signs of the zodiac with the dates of the sun's entrance. The instrument was made in 1786 by the astronomers of Brera, restored several times and modified in 1827 following the reconstruction of the floor of the Cathedral.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Unfortunately, the sundial is no longer functional due to artificial lighting in the basilica, which prevents the sunlight from properly illuminating the brass strip on the floor. The instrument was originally designed to work with natural light entering through a hole 24 metres high on the south-facing wall at solar noon.
The sundial features a brass strip embedded in the floor forming the symbol of Capricorn, which crosses the nave and extends three metres up the left north wall. Interestingly, the marble arch is intentionally missing on the south side of the church to ensure the light hole remains in sunlight throughout the year.
The sundial was created in 1786 by astronomers from Brera Observatory and has been restored several times throughout history. The instrument was notably modified in 1827 following the reconstruction of the cathedral's floor.
On either side of the metal line are marble slabs that display the zodiac signs with the exact dates when the sun enters each sign. This allowed the original instrument to function as both an astronomical and calendar instrument for visitors.
The hole positioned 24 metres high on the south wall was designed to project a ray of light onto the brass floor strip at solar noon, creating the sundial's function. However, due to modern artificial lighting in the basilica, the natural light projection is no longer visible or practical for timekeeping purposes.