Duomo di Siena
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Duomo di Siena is the medieval cathedral of Siena.
The Cathedral itself was originally designed and completed between 1215 and 1263 on the site of an earlier structure. The baptistry, located underneath the eastern bays of the choir, was completed in the fourteenth century. A second massive addition, which would have more than doubled the size of the structure by means of an entirely new nave, was planned in later years but was halted by the Black Plague in 1348. The remains of this extension can now be seen to the south of the Duomo as a parking lot and museum, and, though unfinished, are testament to Sienese power, ambition, and artistic achievement.
The Italian Gothic facade by Nicola Pisano, replete with gargoyles, was begun in the late 1280's and extended in the 1370's. The exterior and interior are constructed of striped white and black marble. The inlaid marble floor, parts of which were designed by Domenico Becafumi, is one of the most ornate of its kind in Italy, using black, white, green, red and blue marble intarsia.
The Siena pulpit, made of Carrara marble, was sculpted by Nicola Pisano and was completed in 1268. The pulpit is octagonal in shape and supported by lions. The scenes on the pulpit show a richness of surface, motion and narrative, but are difficult to see because of the dark interior of the Cathedral. Many of the Duomo's original furnishings, such as Duccio di Buoninsegna's Maestą and Cimabue's stained glass window, have been removed to the nearby Museo del Opera del Duomo.
Beneath the Duomo, in the baptistry is the baptismala marvellous font with bas-reliefs by Donatello, Ghiberti, Jacopo della Quercia and other 15th-century sculptors. Underneath the choir of the Duomo, a narthex containing important late-thirteenth century frescoes was found and excavated in 1999-2003 and is now open to the public.
The Cathedral contains valuable pieces of art including The Feast of Herod by Donatello, and works by Bernini and the young Michelangelo. Adjoining the Cathedral is the Piccolomini library, housing precious illuminated choir books and frescoes painted by Pinturicchio based on designs by Raphael.
External links
- Webcam on roof of Duomo (http://www.sienaol.it/webcamdu.htm)
- Slide Show of Siena Duomo (http://library.ucsc.edu/slides/decou/siena.html)
- The Gargoyles of Siena Duomo (http://www.newyorkcarver.com/sienafront.htm)