Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, commonly known as the Duomo of Florence, is one of the biggest Gothic Churches in the world. Its construction began in September of 1296 and it was only completed in 1436 with the Cupola, designed by the infamous architect Filippo Brunelleschi.
This Cathedral is located in Piazza del Duomo and, along with its Baptistery and Giotto’s Campanile, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a good idea get the most of it is to take a private walking tour of Florence.
Let’s find out more about Florence’s Duomo and its history!
The Construction of the Duomo of Florence
As mentioned before, the construction of the Dome of Florence began in the XIII century in Gothic style, following the design of architect Arnolfo di Cambio, who also designed the Palazzo Vecchio and the church of Santa Croce.
After the death of Arnolfo di Cambio, the construction of this Church was put on hold and then continued with Giotto, Andrea Pisano and Francesco Talenti who continued to work on the Cathedral up until 1359. The construction was then continued by Giovanni di Lapo Ghini and many other architects. The nave of the Church was only finished in 1380 but no one could find a way to finish the dome up until 1418.
The Arte della Lana chose to host a competition to design the Dome of this Church that saw two main competitors: Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti. As most of you know, the competition was won by Filippo Brunelleschi and the cupola is often referred to as “Cupola Brunelleschi”. He managed to build this spherical dome without a supporting wooden structure, something that still blows architects’ minds to this day!
Cupola Brunelleschi: Facts You Need to Know
One of the most interesting aspects of the Dome of Florence is its cupola. As previously mentioned, Cupola Brunelleschi was only finished in 1436 and it’s, to this day, the biggest masonry dome in the whole world! Here are some interesting facts you may not know about Cupola Brunelleschi:
- This may come as a surprise but Cupola Brunelleschi was actually the first project designed by Filippo Brunelleschi that was actually built. Apart from some sculptures and bronze decorations, Filippo Brunelleschi had never designed such a big building and he was, in fact, assisted by Lorenzo Ghiberti. He couldn’t stand the lack of trust that they had in him so he used a strategy to have Ghiberti fired: Brunelleschi pretended he was sick for over 10 days and didn’t show up at the construction site. Ghiberti was not capable of continuing the work without him, which led to him being taken off the project;
- Since the Cupola was built, it was chosen that architects could not create buildings that were taller than the Cupola. This may seem absurd but it actually makes Florence’s skyline very unique;
- In 1601, the copper and golden ball located on top of the Cupola was struck by lightning, causing it to fall down!
- Cupola Brunelleschi was partially rebuilt in Parco dell’Anconella by Massimo Ricci, who tried to study in depth the architectural technique of Filippo Brunelleschi’s dome;
Conclusion
The Dome of Florence surely is one of the many great beauties that Florence holds. Visiting it is an experience that needs to be done at least once in a lifetime! If you want to get lost in the history of this Cathedral, make sure to book a tour with us!
