Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore), Florence

Dome and façade of the Duomo from above. Courtesy Paradoxplace.com.

A magnificent ensemble: baptistery, facade, dome and campanile.
Photo by Wayne McLean.

The beautiful, colorful facade of the Duomo. Photo by Nick Kocharhook.

The great campanile.Photo by Nick Kocharhook.

Detail of rose window on the facade. Photo under GFDL.

Detail of portal decoration. Photo by Ernie Bello.

The vast interior of the Duomo. Photo by Nick Kocharhook.

Frescoes in the great dome. Photo by Anthony J. Hicks.

Santa Maria del Fiore (also known as the Duomo) is the cathedral of Florence, Italy, noted for its distinctive dome.

Its name ("Saint Mary of the Flower") refers to the lily, the symbol of Florence. The cathedral complex includes the Duomo, the baptistery and the campanile (bell tower).

The cathedral, the third to be built in Florence, was built on the site of the previous one, Santa Reparata, prompted by the magnificence of the new cathedrals in Pisa and Siena.

It was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio in 1294 to be the largest Roman Catholic church in the world (although the design was later reduced in size), with the first stone being laid on September 8, 1296.

After Arnolfo died in 1302, work on the cathedral slowed. In 1331, the Arte della Lana (Guild of Wool Merchants) took over responsibility for the construction of the cathedral and in 1334 they appointed Giotto as overseer for the work. His major accomplishment was the campanile, but he died in 1337.

It was not until 1355 that work resumed on the cathedral itself under a series of architects, including Francesco Talenti, Alberto Arnoldi, Giovanni d'Ambrogio, Giovanni di Lapo Ghini, Neri di Fioravante and Orcagna. The nave was finished by 1380, and by 1418 only the dome was uncompleted.

In 1418 a competition was held to design a new dome (or cupola) for the cathedral. The two competitors were Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi. Brunelleschi won the competition with his distinctive octagonal design, but both were appointed architects. This did not work, and Brunelleschi soon took over sole responsibility.

Work started on the dome in 1420 and was completed in 1436; the cathedral was consecrated by Pope Eugenius IV on March 25, 1436.

It was the first 'octagonal' dome in history to be built without a wooden supporting frame (the Pantheon, a circular dome, was built in 118-128 AD without support structures), and was the largest dome built at the time (it is still the largest masonry dome in the world). The dome also used horizontal reinforcements of tension chains of stone and iron - paving way to the imaginations of iron and steel structural reinforcements, such as reinforced concrete in later centuries.

Brunelleschi's ability to crown the dome with a lantern was questioned and he had to undergo another competition. The lantern was begun a few months before his death in 1446 and was completed by his friend Michelozzo. A huge statue of Brunelleschi now sits outside the Palazzo dei Canonici in the Piazza del Duomo, looking thoughtfully up towards his greatest achievement.

The cathedral's facade was demolished in 1587-1588 and was bare until the 19th century. In 1864 a competition was held to design a new facade and was won by Emilio De Fabris. Work was begun in 1876 and completed in 1887. The huge bronze doors date from 1899 to 1903.

What to See

The Gothic interior is cavernous and is particularly notable for its stained glass windows (mostly 1434-1445; some designed by Ghiberti) and its marble pavement (1526-1660).

Artists who have produced work for the cathedral include:

Benedetto and Giuliano da Maiano (panelling in the sacristy)
Andrea del Castagno (fresco of Niccolò da Tolentino on the north wall)
Luca della Robbia (reliefs of the Resurrection and Ascension above the sacristy doors; work on the sacristy door with Michelozzo; choir loft, now in the Museo del Duomo)
Domenico di Michelino (Dante Explaining the Divine Comedy on the north wall)
Donatello (heads of a prophet and a sibyl on the south side of the exterior; choir loft, now in the Museo del Duomo)
Davide and Domenico Ghirlandaio (mosaic of the Annunciation on the south side of the exterior)
Michelozzo (work on the sacristy door, with Luca della Robbia)
Nanni di Banco (relief of Assumption of the Virgin on south side of exterior)
Paolo Uccello (decoration of west wall clock; fresco of Sir John Hawkwood on the north wall)
Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari (frescoes of The Last Judgement in the interior of the dome)

Quick Facts

Location:	Piazza del Duomo, Florence, Italy
Phone:	055-230-2885
Bus:	1, 6, 17, 14, 22, 23, 36, 37, or 71
Hours:	Church Mon-Wed and Fri 10am-5pm; Thurs 10am-3:30pm; 1st Sat of month 10am-3:30pm, other Sat 10am-4:45pm; Sun 1:30-4:30pm. Cupola Mon-Fri 8:30am-6:20pm; Sat 8:30am-5pm (first Sat of month to 3:20pm)
Cost:	Admission to church free; Santa Reparata excavations 3€ ($3.45); cupola 6€ ($6.90), free for children under 6
Tours:	Free tours every 40 min. daily, 10:30am-noon and 3-4:20pm.

Location Map

Below is a location map and aerial view of the Duomo in Florence. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. For a larger view, see our Florence Map or get our free Google Earth download.

Sources

Based on Wikipedia under GFDL.

Reviews of the Duomo - TripAdvisor traveler reviews and tips
Opera Duomo - Official Website of the Museum (Italian only)
Florence Hotels - HotelTravel.com