FLORENCE CATHEDRAL 1: OVERVIEW

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Title	FLORENCE CATHEDRAL 1: OVERVIEW
Alternate Title	Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence Duomo, Duomo di Firenze
View	Southeast portal, area above the portal, detail
Notes	religious
Work Type	cathedral church
Style/Period	Gothic
Creator Name	Arnolfo, di Cambio
Creator Nationality	Italian
Contributors to Project	Brunelleschi and others
Major Design Aspects	independent structure prominent position monumental
Elements & Spatial Types	bell tower campanile tribune dome rose window inlaid marble
Climate Type	Mediterranean
Country	Italy
City	Florence
State/Province	Tuscany
Alternate Place Names	Piazza San Giovanni
Location.Notes	Piazza San Giovanni
Architectural Material	marble (white Carrara, green Prato and red Siena marble)
Structural System	bearing masonry
Dates	1296-1436
Century	15C
Designation/Awards/Inscriptions	city landmark, city icon, country icon
Photographer	Scott Gilchrist, Archivision
Date Photographed	9/30/1994
Subject Information	The Cathedral or Duomo of Florence as we see it today is the end result of years of work that covered over six centuries of history. Its basic architectural project was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio at the end of the 13C; the cupola that has made it a symbol for the whole of Tuscany was created by that genius of the Renaissance, Filippo Brunelleschi, while the facade that completed it was carried out as late as the late 19C...In 1293, the Florentine Republic, at the suggestion of the notary Ser Mino de Cantoribus, decided to replace Santa Reparata with a larger and more magnificent cathedral, and was also prepared to finance its construction: so that the industry and power of man are unable to invent or ever attempt again anything that is larger or more beautiful'. The population was expected to partecipate in the costs: all last wills and testaments bore a tax which was then put towards the 'Building' of the Cathedral. The project was assigned to Arnolfo di Cambio in 1294, and he ceremoniously laid the first stone on September 8th 1296...Arnolfo worked on the Cathedral from 1296 to 1302, the year of his death, and although the dominating style of the period was Gothic, he conceived a basilica of classical grandeur, with three wide naves that meet in the vast chancel where the high altar stands, surrounded in its turn by the 'trefoil' shaped tribune (a schematic representation of the petals of a flower?) on which the cupola rests. The planned diameter for this dome was 45,50 metres, just like that of the Baptistery. Thus Arnolfo spent the last few years of his life completing two bays and the new facade, which he only had time to decorate and complete by half: the sculptures (some by Arnolfo himself) were dismantled and transferred to the Museum of the Opera del Duomo when Grand Duke Francesco I de' Medici decided to construct the new facade in 1586...Work on the external marble revestment continued as well as on the decorations around the side entrances, the Door of the Canonici (south side) and the Door of the Mandorla (north side), topped with a relief of the Assumption (1414-1421), the last work of Nanni di Banco. The problem of the cupola was still unresolved. Brunelleschi designed his first project in 1402 but kept it secret. In 1418 the Opera del Duomo announced the competition that Brunelleschi was to win though work did not start on it until two years later and was to continue until 1434...The final touches that still awaited completion were the lantern (mounted in 1461) and the external revestment in white Carrara, green Prato and red Siena marble, which, according to the directions of Arnolfo, was to repeat the facings of the Baptistery and the Belltower and give uniformity to the style of the square, and, last of all, the facade. However it was necessary to wait until 1886 before this was carried out.' Source: www.mega.it/eng/egui/monu/buq.htm
Credit Line	Archivision Inc. (all images copyright Scott Gilchrist / Archivision.com)
Collection Title	Archivision (architecture, urban design, gardens, landscapes and public art)
Collection information	Collection administered by the Visual Resources manager, Architecture Library, (402) 472-1193

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FLORENCE CATHEDRAL 1: OVERVIEW

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