Cathedral in the Plaza of Miracles (Duomo di Pisa) description and photos - Italy: Pisa (Topic)

Cathedral in Piazza del Pisa (Duomo di Pisa) description and photos - Italy: Pisa. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Duomo di Pisa.

Photo and description

The cathedral ensemble in Piazza dei Miracoli (Piazza dei Miracoli) is unmatched in the world. Three buildings of sparkling white marble are located in the city center, in an emerald green, immaculately manicured meadow. In the center rises the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore, famous for its size; to the west of it is a beautiful baptistery, and to the left rises the famous bell tower, which went down in art history as the Leaning Tower.

The architectural ensemble, consisting of a cathedral, a baptistery and a tower, took almost 300 years to build. It is distinguished by an amazing unity of style, despite the clearly expressed individuality of each component. They are united by repeating rows of an arched gallery and windows rounded at the top. The cathedral is rightfully the dominant feature of the ensemble; the tower and baptistery are intended to complement, but not obscure it.

The construction of the cathedral began in the 1080s, led by the architect Buscheto. By this time, the city had turned into a school of craftsmanship for artists and builders who came to Pisa from all over Italy to perfect their art. Therefore, there were enough talented craftsmen to implement the project. Construction progressed rapidly, and by 1150 the cathedral body was completed.

Basilica, popular in ancient Rome, is at the heart of the cathedral. In the eastern part there is a semicircular apse. The three-nave transepts end with similar apses, and the altar and the central nave have two side naves on each side. The western facade is the main accent in the exterior of the cathedral. Four tiers of arcature galleries rise above the three portals. The western facade resembles Greek temples in symmetry. However, the reliefs of the bronze gates on religious subjects and the sculpture `` The Virgin and Child '' at the tower itself, pagan parallels are neutralized.

The darkness of the interior contrasts with the sparkling white of the cathedral outside. Simple columns with carved capitals rise to the arcade, which combines five adjacent stone arches of contrasting colors. The walls of the nave, thanks to the masonry in the form of horizontal stripes of multicolored marble, seem to be devoid of weight. Tuscan masters often resorted to a similar technique. The wooden floor of the nave is located quite low, and this creates a twilight in the temple, softening the coldness of the stone.

The Chair of the Cathedral by Giovanni Pisano is a masterpiece of Pisa sculpture of the XIV century. Reliefs with episodes from the New Testament, Childhood and Passion of Christ, the Last Judgment were performed in 1302-1310. The compositions are separated from each other by the figures of the Prophets and Sibyls.

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Topic: Cathedral in the Plaza of Miracles (Duomo di Pisa) description and photos - Italy: Pisa.