Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Italy, resort of Florence
Rating: 7,9/10 (140 votes)  Santa Maria del Fiore is a cathedral and the most famous architectural structure of the Florentine Quattrocento. In terms of architecture, the dome made by the project of the architect Filippo Brunelleschi, as well as the facade cladding with polychrome marble panels in various shades of pink and green. The cathedral was designed in such a way that it could accommodate the entire population of Florence, that is, it was something like a large covered square. The length of the structure reaches 153 meters, width – 90 meters in the transept. The current temple was erected on the site of the former Cathedral of Santa Reparata, which over the centuries was badly dilapidated and began to collapse in the 13th century. In addition, during the period of active population growth, the temple became small for parishioners. Florence sought to surpass the cathedrals of Pisa and Siena in grandeur. As a result, by the time the construction of the cathedral was completed, it was already the largest in Europe. The decision to build a cathedral on the site of the old church was made in 1289. The construction was entrusted to the architect Arnolfo di Cambio. It was here that Savonarola spoke with his sermons, and in the cathedral in 1478 an attempt was made on Giuliano and Lorenzo Medici. The cathedral was built over six centuries. The foundation stone of the building was laid in September 1296 by Pietro Valeriano Duraguerra – the first papal legate. In 1310 Arnolfo di Cambio developed the project and began construction of the walls, as evidenced by the date under the bas-relief with the Annunciation at the beginning of the south wall. In 1331, the guild of wool merchants took over the construction, and Giotto was appointed chief architect, and in 1334 he began building the bell tower. In 1337, after the death of Giotto, only the first tier of the campanile was built. In 1348, work was suspended due to the outbreak of the plague fever. In 1349, construction work was resumed again under the leadership of Francesco Tolenti, who completed the bell tower and expanded the construction area. Ten years later, Talenti was succeeded by Giovanni di Lapo Gini, who divided the main nave into four parts with arches. Later, Alberto Arnoldi, Orcagna, Neri di Fioravante and Giovanni d ’ Ambrogio took part in the construction of the cathedral. In 1375, the old church of Santa Reparata was demolished, a nave was built in its place in 1380, and by 1418 only the dome remained unfinished. The cathedral was consecrated in 1436, however the facade was unfinished by that time. Francisco de Medici ordered to rebuild the facade by dismantling the old one. In the 19th century, it was decided to finish building the cathedral. In 1887, Emilio de Fabrice rebuilt the building's new facade. The Church of Santa Maria del Fiore, along with other attractions in the historic center of Florence, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We also recommend reading University of Florence in Italy, resort of Florence Topic: Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Italy, resort of Florence. |
