Duomo of Siena
Due to the war that oppposed
Siena to
Florence the
Duomo of Siena required more than two centuries to be built. Works began in 1150 and ended on 1376, after several interruptions. The Sienese wanted the Duomo to be larger than
Florence cathedral but statics problems caused the project to be abandoned. The various architectural styles that developed between the 12th-14th centuries - from Romanesque to Flamboyant Gothic - mingle in the
Duomo of Siena The lower section of the green and pink façade is by Giovanni Pisano, whereas the upper part is by Giovanni di Cecco. The central glass-stained window depicts the Last Supper. Forty busts representing the four Evangelists and thirty-six prophets and patriarchs surround the rose window. The interior is paved with fifty-six panels by different artists and is visible only one month a year, from August 15th to September 15th.
The church is rich in art masterpieces: a stained-glass window by Duccio di Buoninsegna illuminates the apsis and statues by Bernini, Donatello, Michelangelo, Jacopo della Quercia and Pinturicchio decorate the chapels. The octagonal
pulpit resting on nine columns was carved by Nicola Pisano with the help of his son Giovanni and Arnolfo di Cambio. The scenes on the parapet narrate the Life of Christ. Sculptures of angels and prophets separate the panels.
Agostino di Giovanni and Agnolo di Ventura designed the black and white
campanile (bell tower), which was built in the early 1300s. Each size of the campanile features a series of six windows: from the single-lancet windows in the lower part to the six-lancet ones in the upper part.
