The Siena Cathedral dedicated to Assumption of Mary (Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta in Italian) stands out for its white and black stones and marble is certainly one of the most amazing and beautiful churches in Italy.
It was built from 1136 to 1382 in the historic center of the city. A large nave remained unfinished due to terrible setbacks such as the plague of 1348. If it had been completed as originally planned, it would be the largest Christian church in the world.
Description
The cathedral of Siena is characteristic of the 13th century Italian Gothic style, but has a 12th century Romanesque base.
The interior is full of decorations and masterpieces, many of which were made by great masters such as Donatello, Pisano, Pinturicchio and Michelangelo.
The façade designed by Giovanni Pisano was built from the 12th century until the end of the 13th century. It features white, black and red marbles, three portals and colonnades richly decorated with fine sculptures.
The large two-tone bell tower is made of black and white marble. The dome has a hexagonal Romanesque base and is surmounted by a polygonal lantern, designed by architects Agostino di Giovanni and Agnolo di Ventura.
The interior is distinguished by black and white marbles and among other things by a large pavement that extends over 3000 m 2, including 37 marble inlays representing the sibyls.
The nave is 89.40 metres long. The pillars, lined with strips of white and black marble, support half-circle arches. In height 171 stucco busts represent the popes.
The stained glass of the façade, by Pastorino de’ Pastorini from drawings by Perin del Vaga depicting the Last Supper (1549)
The choir and high altar are the work by Baldassarre Peruzzi (1506). The Maestà by Duccio (1308) was there, now in the Cathedral Museum. The chancel window dates from 1288.
The Cathedral Chair with its hexagonal base is a remarkable sculpture by Nicola Pisano and Giovanni Pisano, Arnolfo di Cambio (1265-68). It is one of the most important works of the 13th century in Italy. Its elements represent many biblical episodes.
One of the masterpieces is a bronze statue of St. John the Baptist by Donatello.
Mention should be made of the Chigi Chapel (1661) dedicated to the Virgin of the Vow, the pulpit of Nicola Pisano with its porphyry and green marble columns and whose seven panels describe episodes from the life of Christ.
The Piccolomini Altar dedicated to Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini (Pope Pius III) is a work by Andrea Bregno (1485). The niches are occupied by statues of Michelangelo: Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Pius and Saint Gregory.
In the right transept, the Piccolomini Library was built from 1492 to 1502 for Cardinal Francesco Piccolomini (the future Pius III), when he was the archbishop of Siena.
It honours the memory of her uncle Pius II, to which is devoted an important cycle of frescoes painted by Pinturicchio depicting scenes from his life. It also preserves a significant bibliographical heritage.
The Three Graces is a copy made under ancient Rome from a Greek original (4th-2nd centuries BC)
The crypt of the Duomo was rediscovered in 2002, having been filled earlier to consolidate the foundations of the cathedral.
Baptistery
The Baptistery of San Giovanni is located below the apse and accessible on the lower level of the street, at the rear of the cathedral.
This important building was built between 1316 and 1325. The façade is unfinished and dates from the 14th century.
The superb interior was enriched during the 15th century. It bears frescoes by Benvenuto di Giovanni with The miracles of Saint Anthony of Padua (XV), those of the vault, etc.
In the centre is above all the example baptismal fountain dating from the beginning of the Tuscan Renaissance, in bronze and marble, which was designed by Jacopo della Quercia and whose gilded panels on the life of Saint John the Baptist were made by della Quercia, Ghiberti, Donatello, or di Turino; between the statues of virtues such as Hope and Faith by Donatello.
The ciborium is adorned with the four bronze musicians angels by Donatello and di Turino.
We also mention the statues of the school of Giovanni Pisano, the frescoes by Vecchietta and the important triptych with the Virgin, or the Saints and stories of Saint Stephen by Andrea Vanni.
Museo del Opera del Duomo
The Museo dell’Opera del Duomo in Siena brings together works from the cathedral and the diocese of Siena. It occupies what was to be the right nave of the “Duomo nuovo”, whose construction was interrupted by the plague of 1348.
There are many masterpieces, such as a Madonna with Child by Donatello (1458), another by Jacopo della Quercia, statues of the facade (Prophets, Sibyls, Doctors and Philosophers) by Giovanni Pisano at the end of the 13th century, works by Lorenzetti, by Sodoma, etc.
It preserves two masterpieces by Duccio di Boninsegna: the grandiose stained glass for the apse of the cathedral (1287-1288) for which he used an extraordinary technique with its 14 panels; and the Maestà (1308-1311), altarpiece visible on each side with almost 80 figures on the back.
The museum also offers a way to climb into an unfinished part of the nave.
Tours and tickets
Where is the Siena Cathedral, map
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Sources and links
- Official websites : operaduomo.siena.it
- Informations : en.wikipedia.org
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