Monza Cathedral, Gothic cathedral in Monza, Italy
Monza Cathedral, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, has a west front divided into five parts by six applied strips (lesene), each topped by a tabernacle with a statue. The facade mixes white stone with dark horizontal bands and is considered Romanesque in structure and Gothic in decoration. Its porch carries 14th-century gargoyles, and above the portal the Baptism of Jesus is depicted. A plain brick bell tower with a white clock face stands at the left.
Queen Theodelinda founded a palace chapel here in 595 next to her royal residence. Over the centuries the building was expanded several times and received its current Gothic form in the 13th and 14th centuries.
The building bears the name of Saint John the Baptist, chosen by Queen Theodelinda in the sixth century. Visitors today can see the Iron Crown kept in its own chapel, a centuries-old symbol of royal authority.
The striped west front faces Piazza Duomo in the city centre, with the brick bell tower rising to its left. The Iron Crown and treasury are reached through the Serpero Museum, entered from the right transept. The facade restoration begun in 2013 was completed in August 2020, when the last scaffolding came down.
During major religious ceremonies, twelve halberdiers and one commander stand as armed guards inside the cathedral. This tradition still connects the place to its historical role as a palace chapel.
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