The statue “Bearded Saint with Book” has been on public display since today at the FNM headquarters at Piazzale Cadorna 14 in Milan. The artwork has been restored thanks to FNM’s contribution to the “Adopt a Statue” project promoted by the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo. The new sculpture replaces the previous nineteenth-century statue of “Saint Abdon”, which had been on public display since June 2022, when FNM joined the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo’s project.
“Adopt a Statue” is a fundraising initiative launched in February 2020 to support the preservation, enhancement and protection of the Cathedral’s artistic heritage by restoring some of its sculptures that were removed from the monument over the centuries for conservation reasons. The key objective, also pursued in collaboration with the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan City of Milan, is to recover these historic works, which are loaned temporarily to companies and private individuals in exchange for a contribution to support the ongoing restoration of the Duomo.
Through its donation, FNM has supported the cleaning, restoration and consolidation of the “Bearded Saint with Book” statue, enabling travellers and passers-by at Piazzale Cadorna to admire this ancient sculpture dating back to the mid-15th century. Carved from Candoglia marble, the statue depicts an elderly man with a long, forked beard, wearing a monk’s traditional habit, with a cloak that envelops the figure at the front as well. He holds an open book, an attribute traditionally associated with saints and prophets.
The circular base recalls other well-known examples of humanist sculpture from the Sforza period. The complete absence of inscriptions on the statue makes a more precise attribution impossible. Its particular dimensions suggest that it may originally have been placed on an altar inside the Duomo. However, its deteriorated condition before restoration indicates that it was subsequently positioned on the exterior of the Cathedral, in a sheltered location protected from the elements. In its deteriorated state, the artwork was displayed at “EXEMPLA 1976. Crafts and Ecology”, an international craft fair held in Munich, Germany, to illustrate the delicate and challenging work carried out by the skilled artisans of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo to preserve the Cathedral’s artistic heritage.
The new statue was unveiled today during a ceremony attended, among others, by Lombardy Regional President Attilio Fontana, FNM President Andrea Gibelli and Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo President Fedele Confalonieri.
“The ‘Adopt a Statue’ project – said Lombardy Regional President Attilio Fontana – demonstrates how cooperation between institutions, businesses and cultural organisations can generate a tangible and lasting impact on the community. Returning the Duomo’s artistic heritage to the public is an act of responsibility that promotes beauty, respect and a sense of belonging. The presence of the ‘Bearded Saint with Book’ at Piazzale Cadorna becomes a symbol of urban decorum and a testament to the educational power of art. It is an initiative that celebrates the excellence of Lombardy’s skilled artisans and renews the meaning of Made in Italy as a synthesis of culture, work and beauty.”
“Over these years of collaboration with the Veneranda Fabbrica, we have seen how the presence of a statue from Milan’s Duomo at Milano Cadorna, clearly visible and displayed to the public at the entrance to our headquarters, has become a source of interest and attraction for travellers and visitors to our station,” commented FNM President Andrea Gibelli. “A remarkable example of beauty that captures the attention of everyone, regardless of their background or origin, it represents the strong bond that has linked the activities of Ferrovie Nord with the city of Milan since the very beginning. At the heart of this relationship stands the Cathedral, located just a short distance away. The station thus becomes not merely a place of transit, but a space to experience and explore, capable of creating new opportunities for stories, cultures and people to meet and share their experiences.”
“In Milan, we often say ‘Lungh ‘me la Fabrica del Domm’ to describe something that never seems to end,” said Fedele Confalonieri, President of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano. “The Duomo requires constant maintenance, a tireless effort carried out by the workers of the Veneranda Fabbrica, the true driving force behind the Cathedral. In 2025, 3.5 million visitors admired the Monumental Complex. Thanks to this international tourism, we can finance the restoration and protection of our heritage. But we must not forget its spiritual soul: the Duomo is, first and foremost, a Cathedral, a place of prayer. The ‘Adopt a Statue’ project thrives on collaboration between institutions and forward-looking businesses, allowing the challenge of our restoration sites to continue defying the passage of time.
I would like to thank FNM for renewing its support by hosting this new artwork following its experience with ‘Saint Abdon’. It is a kind of relay race between statues, demonstrating a continuity that has now become a friendship. This 15th-century ‘Bearded Saint’, who watched over Milan from the walls of the Duomo for six centuries, holds an open book in his hands. Once, right here in the station or aboard trains, this would have been an everyday sight. Today, as we know, the scene is different: we are all absorbed by our smartphone screens. Our Saint is intended to be a symbol of the Duomo in this place of arrivals, departures and work, but also an invitation to rediscover the train as a place for reading and culture.”
Further information about the “Adopt a Statue” project is available on the dedicated webpage: https://www.fnmgroup.it/progetto/adopt-a-statue/?lang=en/
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