NIVOLA

The Nivola is a centuries-old tradition that every year, on the Saturday closest to September 14, the Archbishop of Milan climbs on a kind of mechanical cloud (la nivola) to the highest point of the apse of the Duomo to recover the relic of a nail of the Holy Cross. The faithful have the opportunity to see this nail placed on the altar of the Duomo until Sunday. It is then returned to its original place. This tradition dates back to 1576, when the archbishop of the time implored the relic to end the plague epidemic.