Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo), Florence: Description

The Church of Santa Maria del Fiore is one of the main attractions of Florence. It is a whole architectural ensemble, which includes the baptistery (baptismal) and the Campanile (bell tower). The latter also serves as a guide for the strayed tourist, since it rises to ninety meters. And the bright red dome of Santa Maria del Fiore is the visiting card of the capital of Tuscany. By the way, about the name. There are several churches dedicated to the Mother of God in Florence. Not far from the station is Santa Maria Novella. It looks like an inlaid casket with its black and white facade. But she once cast a horror on the Florentines, because she was a church of the Dominicans and the Inquisition. But the "Madonna-in-the-Flowers" was for the townspeople a meeting place, a symbol of the greatness of Florence. This is the cathedral, or, as it is customary to call Italy, the Duomo. In this article we will give the most complete information about this temple.

Historical background of construction

It was the end of the thirteenth century, when, after the defeat of the Ghibellines, the authority of the pope was consolidated. And to show the triumph of the Catholic Church over the "pararene (Albigensian) heresy," huge cathedrals began to be built. They had to rise above the whole city as a symbol of the domination of papal authority. In addition, we should not forget about the feudal disunity, which then experienced Italy. The Duomo of Florence was supposed to "wipe out the nose" to such old rivals of the city as Pisa and Siena. The city also needed a temple that would accommodate the entire population. And the great Florence at that time surpassed the number of inhabitants of London. Thirty thousand people - that's what the capacity of the cathedral of the capital of Tuscany. This, according to the idea of the architects, was to be an indoor forum where all the citizens of the Christian faith could gather from small to large. Of course, the amount of construction required astronomical. But Florence of the thirteenth century experienced a flourishing. Porcelain dyers and trade brought a stable income to the city. So the money for construction was.

History of the Duomo

The place for the construction of the cathedral was chosen already dilapidated for several centuries the church of the Holy Reparata. The decision to demolish the church built in the fourth century was adopted in 1289. As is customary now, a competition was announced, but the Florentine Guild of Arts won the tender, and commissioned its member, architect Arnolfo di Cambio, to develop the project. In the order it was specified that the Duomo (Florence) should become larger in size and richer decorated than the cathedrals of Siena and Pisa. The first stone in the construction was laid by the papal legate of Cardinal Pietro Valeriano Duraguerra in September 1296. Arnolfo di Cambio personally supervised the work. But after the death of the master in 1302, the construction stopped for a whole twenty-eight years. Probably, the lack of funds for the implementation of such a large-scale project has affected. But here in the intervention of the forces of heaven. In the basement of the old church of Santa Reparata were "miraculously recovered" the relics of Zinovy of Florence. The news of the miracle was brought to the ears of the Christian people by preachers, and the gifts of pious pilgrims helped to continue the construction.

The layout of the cathedral

According to the project of Arnolfo di Cambio, this building should be made in the form of a Latin cross. One-nave Santa-Reparata was supplemented by two more naves on the sides. At the end of them a dome of an octagonal shape was conceived. Semicircular apse and two lateral transepts completed the layout of the Duomo. Florence in 1330 appointed the chief architect Giotto - the most fashionable and highly paid master of the time. But the ambitious architect, instead of continuing the work of his predecessor, started building the bell tower. Giotto died in 1337, when only the first tier of Campaniles was built. And in 1347 a black plague came to Florence, and everyone was not up to the cathedral. After the end of the epidemic, the work resumed. For nearly seventy years of construction, six major architects have been replaced. They were Francesco Talenti, Giovanni di Lapo Gini, Alberto Arnoldi, d'Ambrogio Giovanni, Neri di Fioravante and Andrea Orcagna.

Dome of the Duomo (Florence)

By 1418 the walls were completed. It remained only to put a dome on them. But here there were difficulties of an engineering nature. The area of the supposed dome was so vast that the architects feared that he would collapse. In addition, it was unclear how to deliver building materials to a height of over ninety meters. The work was interrupted for forty years. The Florence Council announced another competition. The dome was built by Filippo Brunnaleski. To stabilize the design, the brilliant engineer installed twenty-four vertical ribs and six horizontal rings on an octagonal base. For more than half a millennium, this skeleton has been supported by the thirty-seven-meter dome of Santa Maria del Fiore. Everything in it is calculated to trifles. Even lantern (lantern turret) is not just an architectural decoration. It adds a load to the building drum, makes the dome more stable.

Parameters of the Cathedral

Even before the dome of Brunnelski was completed, the Florentine Duomo was consecrated. This happened in 1436. For this ceremony, the Roman pontiff, Eugene the Fourth, arrived in Florence. This gave Santa Maria del Fiore extra weight in the eyes of the laity and the clergy. The majestic building is striking in size. The total area of the cathedral is 8300 sq.m. The temple extends a hundred and fifty-three meters in length and 90 meters in width. At the same time, the temple does not produce the impression of massive, pressing. Thanks to the skill of architects, he seems to soar. The walls rise to forty-five meters. They are crowned by a dome with a diameter of 42 m. The total height of the temple (from the foot to the cross at the top) is one hundred and fourteen meters. But it's hard to believe that the cathedral was completely finished only in 1887.

Exterior finish

Yes, the beautiful façade that glorified the Duomo (Florence) is not the work of masters of Trecento or Renaissance quadrocento. The fact is that in the sixteenth century a real construction scandal broke out. Numerous officials from the magistrate tried to warm their hands on tenders. As a result, Francis I, Grand Duke, ordered to stop the work on decorating the facade. Only in 1876, for the cause was allowed to take the architect and sculptor Emilio de Fabrice. He also came up with this game of colored marble, in a palette reminiscent of the Italian flag. The designer used a stone from Prato (green), Maremma (pink) and Carrara (white). This polychrome decoration distinguishes the cathedral. Above the lancet arches one can see frescoes reflecting the earthly life of the Virgin Mary. The central entrance is decorated with a statue of Our Lady with a baby Christ in her arms. The bas-relief is surrounded by twelve apostles. On top is an openwork gothic rosette. Next to it are visible medallions with pictures of prominent figures of Florence.

Interior

Duomo inside no less luxurious than outside. But there is also a certain contrast between the lacy appearance of the exterior decor and the laconic interior decoration. This was taken care of in due time by the Dominican preacher Savanarola, who blamed the Flororians for thinking more about external gloss than about the spiritual component of religion. But to the frescoes of the fifteenth century, located on the vault of the cathedral, the local Puritans did not reach (to the delight of the descendants). These paintings depict famous Florentines - Dante Alighieri, Giotto, Nicolo da Tolentino, Giovanni Acuto and others. The main Catholic shrine of the temple, which now attracts not so many pilgrims as tourists, are the relics of Zinovy of Florence, which, as we recall, gave an impetus to the further construction of the Duomo. Another decoration of the cathedral is the clock, designed in 1443 by Paolo Uchchelo. The hands of this chronometer move in the opposite direction, measuring the time left before the Last Judgment.

Stained Glass

You can not ignore the beautiful paintings on the glass. Forty-four stained glass windows adorn the transepts and arches of the naves of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. They can be considered for hours. The uppermost stained-glass windows - in the dome - illustrate the deeds of Christ and the life of the Madonna. And the lower pictures are dedicated to the prophets of the Old and New Testament saints. The dome itself, originally white (Brunnlesski believed that his offspring is so beautiful that does not need additional decoration) was painted by artists Federico Tsukkari and Giorgio Vasari at the end of the sixteenth century. This epic fresco depicts the afterlife. The lower tier is the sinners of hell, to whom repentance is not available. Together with the Antichrist they will suffer forever. Above are the souls in Purgatory. And quite above, at the arch of the dome, in the assembly of the angels of heaven you can see Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, the figures of the Apocalypse and the saints.

Architectural complex

The Duomo (Florence) includes not one church of Santa Maria del Fiore, but several buildings. The Baptistery, named after John the Baptist, is much older than the cathedral. It existed back in the time of the small church of Santa Reparata (4th century), and the modern view was adopted in the twelfth century. Next to the fifth largest cathedral in the world stands the bell tower. Its foundation was laid by the chief architect of the cathedral, Arnolfo di Cambio. The project was designed by Giotto. He also erected the first tier of this eighty-five centimeter campaigners. Further, his project was implemented by Andrea Pisano, and completed the creation of Francesco Talenti. Like the cathedral, the bell tower is faced with three kinds of valuable marble. Now everyone can climb to the observation deck at the top of the bell tower. From it opens an astounding view of Florence and the surrounding hills. By the way, there is a similar platform on the dome of the cathedral.

The Museum

There is another building in the complex of the Duomo. This is museum. This building, though secular, is also very remarkable. After all, it housed the workshop of Brunnelski. In 1891 this building opened a museum, which must certainly be visited. After all, the Duomo Cathedral in Florence was constantly updated. The old parts, which are of great historical and cultural value, were transferred to the museum. There you can see not only the choirs that served as chants of the fifteenth century, but also much of the interior of the church, the baptistery and the bell tower. The real gem of the exposition is the models and dome drawings created by Filippo Brunnaleski himself. Also worthy of attention is the collection of sculptures that once adorned the facade and interiors of the temple. Among them stands the unfinished work of Michelangelo - "Madonna mourning Christ" (Pietta).

Temple-museum

Go to the Cathedral of the Duomo and admire the frescoes and stained glass can anyone. Entrance to the church is absolutely free. Do not be afraid of the queue at the main gate, it moves very quickly. But to look at the dome near, as well as climb the observation deck or go down to the crypt, where the remains of the ancient church of Santa Reparata are presented, you need to pay money. If you intend to familiarize yourself in detail with the Duomo architectural complex, it is better to buy a single (integrated) ticket.

Cost of visit and opening hours

The Duomo is open every day. But the time when tourists can get inside, varies depending on the days of the week. From Monday to Wednesday, the church is open from half-eleventh to five. On Thursdays and Fridays it closes at half past four, on Saturdays at 16:45. On Sunday, Santa Maria del Fiore opens only at half past two and runs to six. The entrance to the observation deck and to the museum is available from 10:30 to 7 every day, only on Saturday there is allowed up to 16:40. The script with the ruins of Santa Reparata can be viewed for a modest fee of three euros. The climb to the dome or to the observation platform of the bell tower costs 6 Є. It is better to buy a single ticket. It costs a lot - thirty euros. But it operates all day after the first control and opens the doors to the museum, the baptistery, to the viewing platforms of the Campanile and the Dome, the crypt, and also to the cemetery nearby.