Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/550

 532 MILAN The corso Vittorio Emanuele, beyond the por- ta Venezia, is the most beautiful and the most frequented. Near by is the new public garden, beautifully laid out, and adorned with a bronze statue of Cavour. A magnificent equestrian statue of Napoleon III. was erected in one of the public squares in 1875. The houses of Milan are generally from three to five stories high. There are not as many sumptuous mansions as in Genoa, Rome, and Florence, but the Vis- conti, Belgiojoso, Annone, and Belloni palaces are fine architectural monuments, containing many works of art. The archiepiscopal pal- ace, the palazzo della Corte (the residence of the king when he visits Milan), the palazzo Marini or of the treasury, the palace of justice, that of the government, the palace of science and art (Brera), the mint, and the famous monte di stato or public loan bank, are among the indst remarkable public buildings. But they are all eclipsed by the duomo or cathe- dral, next to St. Peter's the largest church in Italy. It is almost in the centre of the city, in the piazza del Duorno. It was begun by Gio- vanni Galeazzo Visconti in 1387, but is not yet finished, although Napoleon I. gave a powerful impulse to its completion. Though the main design has been carried out, the details present inconsistencies and anachronisms. The inte- rior is crowded with monuments of prelates and princes and relics of saints. In fretwork, carving, and statuary, it is said to eclipse all other churches in the world ; and the orna- mentation is so profuse that much of the val- ua of the details is lost in the mass. (For its dimensions and general description see CATHE- DEAL, vol. iv., p. 118.) One of the most re- markable churches is that of St. Ambrose, re- nowned for its antiquity and as the scene of ecclesiastical councils, political conflicts, and the coronation of sovereigns. In the refec- tory of the ancient Dominican convent, the present church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, is the celebrated fresco of the "Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci. The church of Santa Maria, near that of San Celso, in the Borgo San Celso, is noted for its beauty. The church of San Carlo Borromeo, begun in 1838 and opened in 1847, built after a design of Amati, is surmounted by a dome only second in size to that of the Pantheon, and contains a marble group of the dead Saviour and the Vir- gin by Marchesi ; but the interior is unfinished. Among other notable churches containing cel- ebrated pictures and monuments are San Fi- dele, San Lorenzo, San Marco, and San Vittore al Corpo, formerly the Basilica Porziana, which vies in dignity with the duomo. Milan abounds with charitable institutions, which possess prop- erty to the amount of $40,000,000. The prin- cipal of them is the great hospital. 880 ft. long by 360 ft. in depth, founded by Francesco Sforza in the 15th century, open to all appli- cants, and containing a free dispensary ; among other endowments, it has received two legacies, Respectively of $600,000 and $1,800,000, from private individuals. Among the other hospi- tals are the large foundling hospital ; the Tri- vulzi hospital, for the relief of the aged, found- ed in 1771 by Antonio Trivulzi, who devoted his palace to the purpose ; and the lazaretto, the most extensive of them all, situated 'out- side of the walls, founded in 1461 and com- pleted at the end of the century, for the plague-stricken, and consisting of four ranges of buildings, each nearly 1,200 ft. long, which enclose an area of more than 30 acres. Education is represented in Milan by the archiepiscopal seminary, two lyceums, three gymnasiums, and a number of colleges and schools, including one for deaf mutes, one for veterinary surgeons, and one for the techno- logical sciences. There are an institute of sci- ence, a geographical military institute noted for issuing excellent maps, a collection of zoolo- gy and palaeontology in the museo municipale di storia naturale, and other establishments and societies for the promotion of science, lit- erature, and art. The intellectual activity of the city has been rapidly increasing since the overthrow of the Austrian rule in 1859, and is particularly evident in the great number of newspapers and periodicals published there. Probably more books are issued in Milan than in any other city of Italy. The Milanese school of engravers has acquired a high repu- tation within the last 40 years. The acade- my of fine arts is one of the most celebrated institutions of its kind in Europe, and the palazzo delle scienze e delle arti, in which it is situated (commonly called the Brera from having originally been a Jesuit college called Santa Maria in Brera), is one of the chief ornaments of the city. It contains an exten- sive gallery of paintings, rich in works by Lombard and Bolognese artists; the public library of nearly 190,000 volumes, including the works bequeathed to it by Haller ; a num- ber of medals and an archaeological library ; a collection of casts; a botanic garden, and an observatory, one of the best in Italy. The new Victor Emanuel gallery was opened by the king, Sept. 15, 1867. Besides several other special libraries in the Brera, Milan is the seat of the world-renowned Ambrosian library, founded by Cardinal Borromeo, and carefully explored by Cardinal Mai, who made there important discoveries of palimpsests. (See AMBROSIAN LIBRARY.) The most exten- sive private library in Milan is in the palazzo Trivulzi, which contains also a valuable collec- tion of coins, and of Greek, Roman, and me- diaeval antiquities. The theatres and theatri- cal entertainments at Milan are numerous and excellent. La Scala can accommodate between 3,000 and 4,000 persons. Attached to it is an academy of dancing, and it also contains a sala di ridotto for concerts and balls. Among the other principal theatres are the Canobiano, the Carcano, the Teatro Re, and the Filodramatico, conducted exclusively by amateurs. The city contains fine coffee houses, club houses, hotels,