There are doors and then there are DOORS. This one is made of bronze and it was designed by the Italian sculptor Lodovico Pogliaghi in 1902 and completed by him in 1908. You can find it protecting the main entrance to Milan’s magnificent cathedral known to Italians as Duomo di Milano. I went to the archives to find this shot which I took during our trip to Italy in 2009. It will be my entry to Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness Challenge this week with her Door theme.
The Door of Doors: bronze door at the main entrance to Milan Cathedral.
Click on the photo to see a slightly larger version of the photo.
The events carved on the door represents the major joys and sorrows in the life of Mary, mother of Jesus. The large center left image is the Ascension of Jesus and the corresponding center right image is the Assumption of Mary.
Pogliaghi (1857-1950) originally won the contest for the Duomo’s doors in 1895. But he had to submit a new design in 1902 after plans for a new facade changed. Pogliaghi was also a painter and art collector. On display in the museum containing his collection is the plaster cast of his famous bronze door. The museum is called Casa Museo Lodovico Pogliaghi and is located in Varese, about 34 miles north of Milan.
I photographed the door eight years ago with my old Canon Rebel XTi camera and my then new Canon 24-105mm lens. Last week I converted the image to monochrome with Lightroom and Nik Silver Efex Pro.
Australian photographer Leanne Cole hosts the weekly Monochrome Madness Challenge. Drop by her website this Thursday (Wednesday in North America and Europe) to see how she and other photographers from all over the world have interpreted her Doors theme.
Crow Canyon Journal 
Impressive . . . but I don’t see a door handle? Intentional, or a design flaw?
Impressive . . . but I don’t see a door handle? Intentional, or a design flaw?
Wait, there is a shadow that might be a handle, but it looks out of place there.
I don’t believe the door is supposed to be opened from the outside but if you look closely there is some kind of handle on the right door, second frame from the bottom. The cathedral’s west facade has five doors. Only one was open the day we visited, not this one. There is a north side door that has a lock. Otherwise, you may have to be inside in order to open most of the doors. I have a hunch this door is seldom opened – probably only on major occasions.
Hi Jerry!
Always keen to read your travel blogs, and the erudite commentary therein..
However, I believe that the large center left image on your photo of the Milan cathedral door is not the Ascension of Jesus, but rather his removal from the cross, with the sorrowing Mary receiving his dead body in her arms.
For what it’s worth
George
Oops — you caught me again, George! After re-examing the door I noticed that Mary’s sorrows seem to be on the left and her joys on the right. Thanks for the correction.
I am so glad you had a person in your photo of the door. It gives you a sense of the giant size of the door. Wow!
Yes, Peter, sometimes you wait and wait for fellow tourists / photographers to move out of the way but this guy never budged, So I used hm for scale.
Your photo highlights for me the incredible work it must have taken to give bronze that sort of detail.
So much wonderful detail …stories told – in these doors
Thanks, MV — glad you enjoyed the post.
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I know. Europe has so many of these doors which are incredible works of art. Some of them are really old.