Pisa Cathedral: the history of a unique style. Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Baptistery

Pisa Cathedral is located in the small Italian town of Pisa. The cathedral together with the famous Leaning Tower and the Baptistery is the visiting card of the city, annually attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists. The city was founded more than two thousand years ago, today it is home to just under 90 thousand people. Here the famous Galileo Galilei was born and taught at the local university, and the botanical garden in the city rightfully claims the title of the best in the world. The temple completes the magnificent medieval appearance of the amazing city, any inhabitant with joy will tell and show where the Pisa Cathedral is.

History of the construction of the temple

Pisa Cathedral is the cathedral of the city and one of the oldest in Italy. It was founded in 1063, during the prosperity of Pisa, which became one of Italy's largest trade hubs. Construction lasted about two centuries, during this time the cathedral acquired its unique and unique appearance.

It was built according to the project of the architect Bousqueto di Giovanni Giudice, who at that time was known for his unusual thinking and scope in construction. Before him was a difficult task - it was necessary to build a building that would eclipse the beauty and design of St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice, built at the same time. Pisa and Venice competed among themselves in everything, and the Pisa authorities could not lose this dispute.

Busketo conceived an absolutely grandiose cathedral - in one building he wanted to embody several architectural directions at once. So the Pisa Cathedral, whose style became revolutionary for those times, received elements of Byzantine, Lombard and Muslim. Busketo managed not only to build an incredibly beautiful church, he created a fundamentally new direction in architecture - Pisa Romanesque style.

Appearance

The decoration of the main facade of the cathedral was occupied by another architect, Rainaldo. He supplemented Busqueto's ideas with his own, erecting a few more similar elements of the construction. The main facade got a new look - now it was decorated with semi-circular arcades, executed in a light manner. It was lined with black, white and blue marble in checkerboard pattern. This simple solution looks very impressive, contrasts under the bright sun and attracts admiring glances.

The arches and columns of the cathedral were made by the best masters of the time, which can be traced in the thoroughness of the processing of each detail. Pisa Cathedral has the form of a cross, if you look at it from above - this is a traditional solution for Catholic cathedrals. Its appearance amazes tourists with the magnificence of granite vaults, a huge number of sculptures and the finest details made with jewelry precision.

Interior decoration

Until now, the original appearance of the Pisa Cathedral has not been preserved. Italy at the end of the XVI century experienced powerful fires, there was also one of them, which destroyed wooden structures. After this tragedy, all the walls were decorated with black and white marble, the ceiling was decorated with gilding with the coat of arms of the Medici.

After the fire, the mosaic of 1302 survived, on which Christ is depicted, and at the same time the newly created department, which has become in our days a unique exhibit of medieval sculpture. Its upper part depicts the main scenes of the New Testament, which were carved from marble.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

The tower was laid shortly after the main construction of the cathedral was completed. The first stones in the foundation of the structure were laid at the end of the XII century, the erection of its walls lasted almost a hundred years under the guidance of different architects and was interrupted several times due to the formed slope.

In the XIII century, it was decided to fix the slope with specially built uneven balconies, but this did not lead to success, the slope continued to continue. Construction was completed in 1350, there were built 8 floors with a total height of 56 meters.

The slope of the tower is due to the soft ground at its base. The mistake made during the design, made the city known to the whole world, and the name of the tower - a household name. Every tourist who has visited Italy, seeks to take a photo with this landmark. In 2008, scientists said that the process of falling has practically ceased.

Baptistery

Pisa Cathedral includes in its ensemble another building, striking with its unique style - the Baptistery. It is the largest in Italy, its circumference exceeds 100 meters. Like the tower, it combines two styles, Romanesque and Gothic, because it was built at different times by different architects.

The building is entirely made of marble. The first tier is decorated with arches, built in the Byzantine style, further dominated by Gothic - smaller arches-denticles, twin structures. The interior of the cathedral is restrained. The building is decorated with pyramidal and round domes, which creates a unique acoustics inside it.

What else to see in Pisa

Of course, tourists are sent to Pisa in order to personally see these masterpieces of Middle Ages architecture and enjoy the unique view of the falling Leaning Tower of Pisa. But when you come to Pisa, you should pay attention to the city itself.

Not far from the complex is the cemetery of Campo Santo. It is executed in the same style that the Pisa Cathedral, a photo with Gothic arches and Romanesque vaults in the guide books stand on a par with the tower itself. Pisa cuisine differs from the traditional Italian piquant taste and acuity of execution: numerous restaurants and cafes treat tourists with classical dishes, which Galileo Galilei tried here.