How the Milan Duomo’s old sculptures are getting a new life with Adopt a Statue programme
The building of Milan’s Duomo started in 1386 and ended in 1965. Now, some of its centuries-old statues are being restored under an adoption scheme
A 15th century statue that once stood outside Milan’s iconic Duomo has found a new home.
Bearded Saint with Book was recently restored under the “Adopt a Statue” programme, launched in 2020 by the centuries-old institution that oversees the cathedral’s conservation. It is now on display behind a glass window at the headquarters of transport company FNM in central Milan’s Cadorna Square.
The programme recruits donors – companies or individuals – to fund the restoration of a statue under a loan agreement that allows it to occasionally be displayed outside the Duomo.
“Statues that would otherwise remain in our deposits are restored and brought back to their original beauty,” says Elisa Mantia, the programme’s project manager. “In that way, they can continue to tell the story of the Duomo even in places that are far from the monument.”
These agreements are in some cases granted for an initial one-year term and may be renewed. The initiative follows previous fundraising campaigns in which donors could adopt gargoyles or spires in exchange for inclusion in the Duomo’s donor register, where contributors’ names are recorded as part of the cathedral’s long history of support.