Siena Cathedral
Siena Cathedral is a medieval church in Siena, Italy, dedicated from its earliest days as a Roman Catholic Marian church, and now dedicated to the Assumption of Mary.
Since the early 13th century the Siena Cathedral has been an important part of the Sienese identity. One way to see this is the continuous building projects constantly surrounding the cathedral from its earliest days, aiming at reinforcing and expanding this site. Indeed, it was the community of citizens that continually advocated for the cathedral to become one of the largest churches in Europe. For centuries the Cathedral acted as more than just a place of worship - it was the center of the city and a place to express civic pride.
The cathedral was designed and built between 1215 and 1263 on the site of an earlier structure. It has the form of a Latin cross with a slightly projecting transept, a dome and a bell tower. The dome, completed in 1264, rises from a hexagonal base with supporting columns. The lantern atop the dome was added by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The bell tower has six bells, with the oldest cast in 1149. The nave is separated from the two aisles by semicircular arches. The exterior and interior are constructed of white and greenish-black marble in alternating stripes, with the addition of red marble on the façade. Black and white are the symbolic colors of Siena, etiologically linked to black and white horses of the legendary city's founders, Senius and Aschius. The finest Italian artists of that era participated in completing the cathedral.
It was the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Siena, and from the 15th century that of the Archdiocese of Siena. It is now the seat of the Archdiocese of Siena-Colle di Val d'Elsa-Montalcino.
Early history
The origins of the first structure are shrouded in legend. There was a 9th-century church with the bishop's palace at the present location. In December 1058 a synod was held in this church resulting in the election of pope Nicholas II and the deposition of the antipope Benedict X. There is a common myth that the cathedral was consecrated in 1179, but there is little evidence to support this idea. There is evidence that the consecration ceremony occurred on November 18, according to the Ordo Officiorum Ecclesiae senensis, but without reference to a specific year.In 1196, the cathedral masons’ guild, the Opera di Santa Maria, was put in charge of the construction of a new cathedral. By 1215 there were already daily masses said in the new church. Beginning in 1226, city records show that black and white marble blocks were being transported to the cathedral, presumably to be used for the facade and bell tower. These records also note the payment of stone masons to work with the marble blocks. The vaults and the transept were constructed in 1259–1260 at the order of the committee composed of city citizens. In 1259 Manuello di Ranieri and his son Parri carved the wooden choir-stalls, which were replaced about 100 years later and have now disappeared. In 1264, Rosso Padellaio helped create the copper sphere on top of the dome. The pulpit, one of the few original works to survive today, was made between 1265–1268 by Nicola Pisano and his followers. This group was most likely also responsible for carving the main altar. The Opera di Santa Maria ordered stained glass for a large, round window in 1287.
A second massive addition of the main body of the cathedral was planned in 1339. It would have more than doubled the size of the structure by means of an entirely new nave and two aisles ranged perpendicular to the existing nave and centered on the high altar in the crossing. The majority of construction was under the direction of Giovanni di Agostino, a well-known sculptor of the time. Construction was halted by the Black Death in 1348. Unfortunately, the halt in construction revealed the failures already present in the new structure, such as a shallow foundation and weak building materials. The project was abandoned officially in 1355, and the work never resumed. The outer walls, remains of this extension, can now be seen to the south of the Duomo, while the floors of the uncompleted nave now serve as a parking lot and museum. Though unfinished, the remains are a testament to Sienese power, ambition, and artistic achievement. One of the walls can be climbed by narrow stairs for a high view of the city. The bell tower is one of the only modern aspects dated before 1215, built between the nave and south transept.
Façade
Work on the west façade began around 1284. Fabricated with polychrome marble, the construction was overseen by Giovanni Pisano whose designs on the Duomo's façade and the pulpit were influenced by his father Nicola Pisano. Built in Tuscan Romanesque style it emphasizes a horizontal unity of the area around the portals at the expense of the vertical bay divisions. The three portals, surmounted by lunettes, are based on Giovanni Pisano's original designs, as are much of the sculpture and orientation surrounding the entrances. The areas around and above the doors, as well as the columns between the portals, are richly decorated with acanthus scrolls, allegorical figures and biblical scenes. The figures above the portals, many of whom were Old Testament prophets, were carved with exaggerated poses and features, to enable them to be seen from far away.Giovanni Pisano abruptly left Siena in about 1296 reportedly over creative differences with the Opera del Duomo, the group that oversaw the construction and maintenance of the Siena cathedrals. Pisano's lower façade was continued under the direction of Camaino di Crescentino, but a number of changes were made to the original plan. These included raising the façade due to the raising of the nave of the church and the installation of a larger rose window based on designs by Duccio di Buoninsegna and commissioned by the city of Siena. Work on the west façade came to an sudden end in 1317 when the Opera del Duomo redirected all efforts to the east façade.
There is debate as to when the upper façade was completed. Most scholars agree that it was finished sometime between 1360 and 1370, though when it began again is not known. Pisano's plans for the façade continued to be used with some adaptations under the direction of Giovanni di Cecco. Di Cecco preferred more elaborate designs, most likely inspired by the Orvieto Cathedral. The façade needed to be much higher than foreseen as the nave had, once again, been raised.
Di Cecco's more elaborate design scheme, heavily influenced by French Gothic architecture caused the apparent division of the upper portion of the cathedral. Most noticeably the pinnacles of the upper portion do not continue from the columns flanking the central portal as they normally would in such cathedrals. Instead, they are substantially offset, resulting in a vertical discontinuity which is uncommon in cathedrals of the time as it can lead to structural weakness. To adjust for this imbalance, the towers on each side of the cathedral were opened by adding windows, reducing the weight they needed to support. The upper portion also features heavy Gothic decoration, a marked contrast to the simple geometric designed common to Tuscan Romanesque architecture.
While most of the sculpture decorating the lower level of the lavish façade was sculpted by Giovanni Pisano and assistants depicting prophets, philosophers and apostles, the more Gothic statuary adorning the upper portion—including the half-length statues of the patriarchs in the niches around the rose window—are of later, unattributed, sculptors. Almost all the statuary adorning the cathedral today are copies. The originals are kept in the Crypt of the Statues in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.
Three large mosaics on the gables of the façade were assembled in Venice in 1878. The large central mosaic, the Coronation of the Virgin, is by Luigi Mussini. The smaller mosaics on each side, Nativity of Jesus and Presentation of Mary in the Temple, were by Alessandro Franchi.
The bronze central door is a recent addition to the cathedral, replacing the original wooden one. The large door, known as the Porta della Riconoscenza, was commissioned in 1946 near the end of the German occupation of Siena. Sculpted by Vico Consorti and cast by Enrico Manfrini, the scenes on the door represent the Glorification of the Virgin, Siena's patron saint.
On the left corner pier of the façade is a 14th-century inscription marking the grave of Giovanni Pisano. Next to the façade stands a column with a statue of the Contrade Lupa, a wolf breast-feeding Romulus and Remus. According to local legend Senius and Aschius, sons of Remus and founders of Siena, left Rome with the statue, stolen from the Temple of Apollo in Rome.
Interior
In the interior the pictorial effect of the black and white marble stripes on the walls and columns strikes the eye. Black and white are the colours of the civic coat of arms of Siena. The capitals of the columns in the west bays of the nave are sculpted with allegorical busts and animals. The horizontal molding around the nave and the presbytery contains 172 plaster busts of popes dating from the 15th and 16th centuries starting with St. Peter and ending with Lucius III. The spandrels of the round arches below this cornice exhibit the busts of 36 emperors. The vaulted roof is decorated in blue with golden stars, replacing frescos on the ceiling, while the formerets and the tiercerons are adorned with richly elaborated motifs.The stained-glass round window in the choir was made in 1288 to the designs of Duccio.Divided into registers, the window depicts the Assumption of the Virgin. It is one of the earliest remaining examples of Italian stained glass. in 1308–1311 Duccio created a magnificent double sided altarpiece, the Maestá, which illustrated the Madonna Enthroned. Situated directly beneath the Assumption of Mary stained glass, these two works presented a unified visual theme that emphasized the Virgin Mary, to whom the Cathedral is dedicated.
The hexagonal dome is topped with Bernini's gilded lantern, like a golden sun. The trompe-l'œil coffers were painted in blue with golden stars in the late 15th century. The colonnade in the drum is adorned with images and statues of 42 patriarchs and prophets, painted in 1481 by Guidoccio Cozzarelli and Benvenuto di Giovanni. The eight stucco statues in the spandrels beneath the dome were sculpted in 1490 by Ventura di Giuliano and Bastiano di Francesco. Originally they were polychromed, but later, in 1704, gilded.
Next to the first two pillars, there are two fonts, carved by Antonio Federighi in 1462–1463. His basin for the Blessing of Holy Water was later transferred to the chapel of San Giovanni.
The marble high altar of the presbytery was built in 1532 by Baldassarre Peruzzi. The enormous bronze ciborium is the work of Vecchietta. At the sides of the high altar, the uppermost angels are masterpieces by Francesco di Giorgio Martini.
Against the pillars of the presbytery, there are eight candelabras in the form of angels by Domenico Beccafumi, He also painted the frescos, representing Saints and Paradise, on the walls in the apse. These were partially repainted in 1912. Behind the main altar is a very large painting Assumption of the Virgin by Bartolomeo Cesi in 1594.
The presbytery keeps also the beautiful wooden choir stalls, made between 1363–1397 and extended in the 16th century. Originally there were more than ninety choir stalls, arranged in double rows. The remaining 36 stalls are each crowned by the bust of a saint in a pointed niche. Their backs are decorated with carved panels, the work of Fra’ Giovanni da Verona in 1503.