s, as well as the one at the end.
The exterior possesses the German arcade of little arches immediately
under the eaves of the roof; it is marked by the same multiplicity of
small towers, each with its own steep roof; and it possesses the same
striking central feature, internally a small dome, externally a kind
of light pyramidal structure, ornamented by small arcades rising tier
above tier, and ending in a central pointed roof.

The finest Gothic cathedral in North Italy, if dimensions, general
effectiveness, and beauty of material be the test, is that of Milan.
This building is disfigured by a west front in a totally inappropriate
style, but apart from this it is virtually a German church of the
first class, erected entirely in white marble, and covered with a
profusion of decoration. Its dimensions show that, with the exception
of Seville, this was the largest of all the Gothic cathedrals of
Europe. It has double aisles, transepts, and a polygonal apse. At the
crossing of the nave and transepts a low dome rises, covered by a
conical roof, and surmounted by an elegant marble spire.

The structure is vaulted throughout, and each of the great piers which
carry the nave arcade is surmounted by a mass of niches and tabernacle
work, occupied by statues--a splendid substitute for ordinary
capitals. The interior effect of Milan Cathedral is grand and full of
beauty. The exterior, though much of its power is destroyed by the
weakly-designed ornament with which all the surfaces of the walls are
covered, is endowed with a wonderful charm. This building was
commenced in the year 1385, and consecrated in the year 1418. The
details of the window-tracery, pinnacles, &c. (but not the statues
which are of Italian character), correspond very closely to those of
German buildings erected at the same period (close of the fourteenth
century).

Milan possesses, among other examples of pointed architecture, one
secular building, the Great Hospital, well known for its Gothic
facade. This hospital was founded in 1456, and most of it is of later
date and of renaissance character; the street front of two storeys in
height, with pointed arches, is very rich. The church of Chiaravalle,
near Milan, which has been more than once illustrated and described,
ought not to be passed unnoticed, on account of the beauty of its
fully developed central dome. It was built in the early part of the
thirteenth century (1221).

Almost all the great cities o