During WWII, Milano was particularly hit by the bombing. Italian faithful removed the 1000s of beautiful stained glass windows to place in safe keeping. In putting the windows back in place after the war, occasionally they were placed in the wrong order. So the stories from the OT and NT are occasionally out of sequence.
Our guide was fervent and informed, and very devoted to her faith. She told us, in all seriousness about how privileged we were to be able to come into the Duomo at a very special time when the body of archbishop Borromeo was brought up from the basement and elevated above a side alter, encased in a crystal see-through coffin, surrounded by candles, wrapped in white cloth, except for the face which is covered by a silver mask. Well over a hundred faithful sitting in adoration in benches in front of this alter. This saint spends all but one week of each year below. Borromeo became Archbishop in 1571 and was responsible, more than any other single figure, for the final design of the Duomo.
Nearby was an exquisite statue of St Bartholomew, who was skinned alive. It is amazingly anatomically correct (no skin and all). Nearby our guide points to a memorial to St Pius IV done by Michelangelo's friend because Michelangelo told the Pope he was too busy to do the work himself.
At least 100 feet above the main altar is a cross with a red light casting a faint light onto the darkened ceiling. This cross is said to contain one of the original nails from the Cross of Christ. Our guide's broke with emotion as she told us that once a year the bishop rises in a hydraulic bucket ("like an angel") attached to cables to obtain the nail for display. One week later he retrieves the nail and rises again to return it. Interesting.
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