Madonnina

The Madonnina is a statue of the Virgin Mary atop Milan Cathedral in Italy.

The Madonnina spire or guglia del tiburio, one of the main features of the cathedral, was erected in 1762 at the height of 108.5 m, as designed by Francesco Croce. At the top of the spire is the polychrome Madonnina statue, designed and built by Carlo Pellicani in 1774, during the episcopacy of Giuseppe Pozzobonelli who supported the idea to place the Madonnina at the top of the Cathedral.

By tradition, no building in Milan is higher than the Madonnina. When Gio Ponti's Pirelli Building was being built in the late 1950s, at a height of 127.1 m, a smaller replica of the Madonnina was placed atop the Pirelli building, so the new Madonnina remains the tallest point in Milan.