Milan, restoration of the Scurolo di San Carlo in the Duomo ends

In Milan , the restoration of the Scurolo of St. Charles in the Duomo has been completed, after an intervention that lasted about three years: in fact, it was 2020 when this space was closed to the public in order to give back to the faithful, pilgrims and visitors the underground chapel where the body of the co-patron saint of the Archdiocese of Milan rests. Tomorrow, Nov. 3, there will be a visit by the Archbishop of Milan, Mario Delpini, at the end of the Pontifical on the liturgical Solemnity of St. Charles, and then from Saturday, Nov. 11, the Scurolo will again be accessible to the faithful and visitors.

The “Scurolo” (so called from the Milanese dialect term scuroeu, by which a dimly lit or underground room is identified) is the place that holds the remains of St. Charles Borromeo in Milan Cathedral. Designed in 1606 by Francesco Maria Richini, commissioned by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, the Scurolo is located under the Cathedral’s presbytery, next to the Crypt (Cappella iemale). It already appears sufficiently completed and decorated in time for the canonization of the saint (November 1, 1610), thus constituting the homage of the Milanese and their Archbishops to Saint Charles. The small room is octagonal in plan, with alternately unequal sides: the Scurolo is preceded by a Classical pseudo-pronao that divides it from the Iemal Chapel. The walls are adorned in the lower part with marble mirrors and in the upper part with panels decorated with 19th-century fabrics reworked in the 20th century with precious embroidery in silk, gold and silver threads, with Eucharistic symbols and the Borromeo family motto Humilitas.

The Scurolo of

The

. Charles

of the urn

The deliberation of the embossed silver foil decoration, which took over fifty years to complete, dates back to 1619. The donors were the Veneranda Fabbrica, which had allocated the monthly sum of six hundred imperial liras for it, the Milanese goldsmiths, Count Borromeo, Cardinal Litta (Archbishop of Milan from 1652 to 1679) and the many citizens who joined in supporting the initiative. At the center of the Scurolo is the crystal and silver urn that holds the body of St. Charles: designed by Giovanni Battista Crespi known as Cerano, the work was donated by Philip IV of Spain. The saint’s body is dressed in pontifical vestments: the face is covered with a silver mask, commissioned by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini (Pope Paul VI) during his episcopal ministry as Archbishop of Milan (1954 - 1963).

Strongly desired by the Veneranda Fabbrica and the Metropolitan Chapter of Milan and brought to completion thanks in part to the support of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and the Lombardy Region, the restoration work was conducted by the Fabbrica’s workers with theassistance of restoration professionals with their collaborators such as Luca Quartana for the wooden part, Ilaria Mensi for the textiles, Anna Rizzi and Franco Blumer for all the silver ornaments, from the reliefs of the vault to the Virtues of the lower part, for the silver frames of the tapestries and the altar frontal.

In particular, the patinas on the metal decorations, the surface deposits, the oxidation of the silver and gold threads of the tapestries that were torn and abraded in many places, the moth-eaten and heavily varnished wooden parts made such restoration urgent.

The intervention thus made it possible to make all the decorative surfaces of the Scurolo, hidden by centuries of dust and dirt, shine, and to have recreated an authentic environment, quite different from how it was remembered before the work began: the silverware was so oxidized as to look almost ebony; the upholstery damaged and unsafe. In addition, the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo rebuilt the systems and lighting of the chapel, designed by Pietro Palladino.

“For a long time,” comments Monsignor Gianantonio Borgonovo, archpriest of Milan Cathedral, “we had been burning within us the desire to get our hands on the restoration of one of the most hidden and precious spaces of Milan Cathedral: the Scurolo di San Carlo. A first attempt had been blocked by the pandemic, which had brought into a state of ”suspension“ not only our lives, but also many projects under discussion at the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo. Having overcome the drama of those days and resumed the fervor of work on the site, the Fabbrica Management wisely opened the works to restore as soon as possible full splendor to a space that visibly demanded cleaning and restoration.”

After the reopening, free access to the Scurolo reserved for the faithful will always be guaranteed Monday through Saturday from 8 to 10 a.m., directly from the area reserved for prayer, with entrance from the Crypt. Instead, tourist access to visit the restored environment will be possible Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entrance at 4:30 p.m.) and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (last entrance at 3:30 p.m.), at a cost of €3.00, to be added to the ticket for the tourist visit to the Duomo, which can be purchased starting Nov. 5 in the “Tickets” section of the duomomilano.it website.

Milan, restoration of the Scurolo di San Carlo in the Duomo ends

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