Siena Cathedral

Facade of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta

Exterior view

The rose window shows the Lord's Supper

Look into the dome

The Cathedral of Siena ( Italian Cattedrale Metropolitana di Santa Maria Assunta ) is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Siena in the ecclesiastical region of Tuscany . Today the brick structure, faced with characteristic dark green and white marble, is one of the most important examples of Gothic architecture in Italy.

Building history

The cathedral was built from a three-aisled Romanesque basilica , which was started at the beginning of the 13th century and of which the nave (without the vaults) and the crossing dome still exist. The Gothic vaults in the nave and the multi-nave transept were rebuilt around 1260. The campanile dates from the first half of the 14th century and is based on Pisan-Lombard bell towers from the Romanesque period. In 1284 (one of the few secured dates in the history of the building), work on the facade began under Giovanni Pisano , who had completed the lower floor by 1297. Whether work on the facade was interrupted in 1317 or had already been completed is a matter of dispute. The work on the simultaneous enlargement of the choir was laborious because the terrain there sloped and a lower church was necessary. A plan change that went far beyond this project was decided in 1339, probably to compete with the cathedral in Florence. The plague of 1348, an economic crisis, static and building ground problems led to the suspension of all work around 1357. Today only the north aisle and facade of the “Duomo Nuovo” can be seen, which indicate the size of the unfinished plan. The church, which would have continued to use today's cathedral as a transept, should have the dimensions of Old-St. Peter , then one of the largest churches in the world.

Exterior construction

Detailed view of the facade

The three-part western front corresponds to the three aisles of the nave, but the elevation and axes do not communicate with the interior layout. For the first time in Italy, Giovanni Pisano adopted the ideas of Gothic architecture from northwestern Europe from 1282. Even if the figurative ornamentation is not concentrated in the area of ​​the vestibule portal , but in the floors above: the rich program of figures and its integration into the architecture is inconceivable without the example of French cathedral Gothic. The varied use of different types of marble, on the other hand, is a distinctly regional characteristic. The closely comparable facade on Orvieto Cathedral was created almost at the same time . How the two concepts influenced each other has not yet been finally decided by research. Since the 15th century, the facade has been constantly supplemented, restored and renewed. Baroque modifications in the 17th century and regotization in the 19th century led to an "almost complete ruin".

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  Main portal

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  Unfinished facade of the planned "Duomo nuovo" ( Facciatone )

Building parts and pieces of equipment

Overview

Layout

Interior to the apse

(Note: The numbering of the building parts and fittings corresponds to that of the floor plan and thus shows the respective location.)

1. Holy water font by Antonio Federighi
2. St. Francis de Sales by Raffaello Vanni
3. St. Catherine by Pier Dandini
4. Campanile
5. Chapel of the Madonna del Voto . 1659–1662 architecture renewed. The figures at the entrance by Gian Lorenzo Bernini represent St. Hieronimus and St. Maria Magdalena , the miraculous image from the second half of the 13th century is attributed to Dietisalvi di Speme . There are numerous votive offerings outside the chapel .
6. Crescentius by Luigi Mussini
7. Birth of Jesus by Alessandro Casolani
8. Remains of the wooden choir stalls from the years 1363–1397 (36 of the original 90 seats have been preserved), with inlays from 1503.
9. Stained glass window with depictions of the life of Mary based on a design by Duccio di Buoninsegna , copy based on the original from 1287, which has now been moved to the Cathedral Museum.
10. High altar . Duccio's Maestà from 1308 (Cathedral Museum) used to stand here , today a bronze ciborium (altar structure) by Vecchietta , 1472 , rises above the altar by Baldassare Peruzzi from 1532 .
11. Grave monument of Cardinal Riccardo Petroni , 1317 by Tino di Camaino , on the floor in front of it the bronze grave slab of Bishop Giovanni Pecci († 1428) by Donatello .
12. Angel holding candles by Domenico Beccafumi
13. Pulpit by Nicola Pisano
14. Chapel of St. Ansanus with altarpiece by Francesco Vanni
15. Chapel of John the Baptist , built 1482–1504 for his arm relic, with a bronze statue of the saint, a late work by Donatello, 1457. Painting by Pinturicchio , 1505.
16. The Piccolomini library was 1502-1508 by Pinturicchio with scenes from the life of Pope Pius III. painted. The Roman copy of a Greek group of figures of the Three Graces comes from his collection .
17. The Piccolomini altar was donated by Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini in 1481, the framework architecture is by Andrea Bregno , and from 1502 the young Michelangelo and his workshop created some figures for it.
18. Mosaic floor
19. sacristy

pulpit

Pulpit by Niccolò Pisano

→ Main article : Pulpit in the Duomo of Siena

The octagonal pulpit by Niccolò Pisano (or Nicola Pisano ) from 1266 to 1268 is striking among the art treasures inside. It rests on pillars supported by lions.

Mosaic floor

→ Main article : Floor Siena Cathedral

The flooring of the cathedral is almost unique of its kind. These are ornate marble slabs with inlays made of colored marble and black-filled engravings. From the 14th to the 16th century, more than 50 fields were created here, based on designs by 40 artists, some of them famous, such as Bernardino Pinturicchio , which cover the entire floor of the cathedral. Scenes with biblical themes, allegories on wisdom and virtues from antiquity as well as prophets and sibyls as common heralds of the Messiah are presented. The scenes from the story of Abraham , Moses and Elijah below the domes can be regarded as one of the most beautiful works . They come from Domenico Beccafumi , who also designed other scenes. Not all representations are in their original condition, some are mostly covered for conservation reasons.

Choir stalls and windows

The choir stalls are also worth mentioning: the older parts (from the original choir) are decorated with inlays; the others from the 16th century are carved from drawings by Riccio.

The choir window (today the original is in the Cathedral Museum) was designed by Duccio di Buoninsegna .

Piccolomini library

→ Main article : Piccolomini library

Piccolomini library vault

The Piccolomini library, which is adjacent to the cathedral, was founded by Cardinal Francesco Piccolomini (later Pius III ) in honor of his uncle Pius II . Here you will find Pinturicchio's famous frescoes with scenes from the life of the future Pope and a collection of choir books (on chiseled tables) with paintings by Sienese and other artists.

organ

Organ prospectus (right singers' stand)

The organ was built in 1966 by the organ builder Tamburini, reusing a large part of the pipe material from the previous instruments. The instrument has 72 registers on four manual works and a pedal . The actions are electric. The individual organ works are distributed over several organ cases in the cathedral: the “Positivo” is hidden behind the high altar . The main work ( Grand'Organo ) and the pedal are located on the left-hand podium ; The swell (espressivo) is located on the right-hand podium . The solo work is the organ in the chapel of the Madonna del Voto.

I Positivo corale C – c 4 not swellable Principals 8th' Ottava 4 ′ XV 2 ′ Ripieno V 2 ′ swellable Bordone 16 ′ Flauto a camino 8th' Flauto a cuspide 4 ′ Sesquialtera II 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Flautino 2 ′ Larigot 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ Tromba armonica 8th' Cromorno 8th' tremolo

II Grand'Organo C – c 4 Principals 16 ′ Principale forte 8th' Principale dolce 8th' Ottava 4 ′ XII 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ XV 2 ′ XIX-XXII 1' Ripieno grave IV 2 ′ Ripieno acuto III 1' Unda maris 8th' Flauto traverso 8th' Flauto in VIII 4 ′ Flauto in XII 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Tromba 16 ′ Tromba 8th' Chiarina dolce 4 ′ Tromba orizzontale 8th' Tromba orizzontale 4 ′

III Espressivo C – c 4 Principals 8th' Fugara 4 ′ Ripieno V 2 ′ Bordone 16 ′ Clarabella 8th' Flauto ottaviante 4 ′ Nazardo 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Silvestre 2 ′ Flauto in XVII 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′ Flauto in XXII 1' Viola dolce 8th' Coro viole IV 8th' tremolo oboe 8th' shelves 8th' Campane

IV Solo C – c 4 Manual work Principals 8th' Ottava 4 ′ XV 2 ′ Ripieno IV 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ Voce umana 8th' Flauto 8th' Flauto in VIII 4 ′ Ottavino 2 ′ Cornetto II 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Pedal mechanism Contrabbasso 16 ′ Basso 8th'

Pedals C – f 1 Principals 16 ′ Ottava 8th' XV 4 ′ Ripieno VI 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Controbombarda 32 ′

(Continuation) Trombones 16 ′ Trombones 8th' Tromba 8th' Clarone 4 ′ Claroncino 2 ′

(Continuation) Principale acustico 32 ′ Subbasso 32 ′ Contrabbasso 16 ′ Subbasso 16 ′ Bordone amabile 16 ′

(Continuation) Violone 16 ′ Bordone 8th' Bordone amabile 8th' Flauto 4 ′ Corno dolce 4 ′ Campane

Baptistery

→ Main article : Baptistery (Siena)

Baptismal font in the baptistery

The Baptistery of San Giovanni in the substructure of the cathedral choir is accessible from the outside via stairs. It was built from 1316 to 1325, and the facade was added in 1382. The most important piece of equipment is the baptismal font, completed in 1429, in which the most important sculptors of the Italian early Renaissance were involved.

Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

→ Main article : Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (Siena)

In addition to the cathedral choir window, the Opera del Duomo also contains Duccio di Buoninsegna's famous Maestà , painted for the cathedral between 1308 and 1311, as well as other works of art that come from the context of the cathedral. Through the museum you can enter the facade of the "Duomo Nuovo", which was never completed (see above).

literature

• Enzo Carli: "The Cathedral of Siena and the Cathedral Museum". Scala, Florence 1999. ISBN 978-88-8117-477-5
• Bruno Santi: "The marble floor of the Domos of Siena". Scala, 1982. ISBN 978-88-8117-483-6
• Alessandro Cecchi: "The Libreria Piccolomini in the Cathedral of Siena". Scala, 1982.
• Elisabeth Wünsche-Werdehausen: Toskana , Stuttgart (Reclam), 2017, pp. 156–166.
• Klaus Zimmermann: Toscana , Cologne 2011, pp. 300–311.
• Klaus Portable : Constructing Siena Cathedral. Sources and Observations on the Use of Brick in the Middle Ages (PDF). In: Karl-Eugen Kurrer , Werner Lorenz , Volker Wetzk (eds.): Proceedings of the Third International Congress on Construction History . Neunplus, Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-936033-31-1 , pp. 1411-1417

See also

• Unfinished structures

Web links

Commons : Siena Cathedral  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

• Website of the cathedral (English and Italian)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Keller, Harald: The Art Landscapes of Italy [1960]. Frankfurt a. M. 1983, p. 129 and p. 299: In the plague year Siena lost ¾ of its inhabitants, u. a. the cathedral builder
2. ↑ Toman, Rolf (ed.): The art of the Gothic. Architecture - sculpture - painting. Cologne 1998, p. 254
3. ↑ Antje Middeldorf-Kosegarten: Sienese sculptors at the Duomo Vecchio, studies on sculpture in Siena 1250-1330 , Munich 1984, p. 69. - Antje Middeldorf-Kosegarten: The cathedral facade in Orvieto: studies on architecture and sculpture 1290-1330, Munich / Berlin 1996. (Studies in Art History, Vol. 66)

Coordinates: 43 ° 19 ′ 3.3 ″  N , 11 ° 19 ′ 43.3 ″  E