The Siena cathedral it is one of the main masterpieces of Gothic art in Italy, as well as being the most famous place of worship in Siena, Tuscany. The city is one of the richest in terms of cultural and artistic heritage in Italy, let’s think for example of the public buildinganother famous construction of Italian Gothic art.
The cathedral of Siena: the history
The Siena cathedral is dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta; stands out for its light color compared to the surrounding context and for its height of 48 meters, including the cross, and the 77 meter high bell tower. The works for its construction began around 1226 and historical data report that i the first elements created were the choir and the dome, although we can say that the building underwent a not entirely linear evolution as there was a succession of various projects. Particularly in the first phase, where we see how protagonist the Italian architect and sculptor Nicola Pisanoelements of continuity emerge with it romantic stylefor example with the round arches and in the alternation of white and black bands in the pillars.
From a structural point of view, the Siena cathedral presents some inconsistencies due to the succession of several projects, the plan is a Latin cross and has a very large presbytery area. Furthermore, an initial project, the project of New Cathedralalso included a expansion of the structurea project which, however, was abandoned after twenty years both because the land would not have been able to support such a significant expansion and because the fourteenth-century economic crisis left no alternatives.
The interior and exterior of the cathedral
The Siena cathedral inside it conveys a sensation of extremely large space, almost immeasurable, an effect caused by the light coming from the glassless rose window of the façade and dome. Furthermore, the space seems to expand more horizontally, thanks to the pillars with alternating black and white bands which limit the sensation of verticality of the structure. Interior decoration belongs to first design phaseespecially to the teacher Nicola Pisanowho created the Pergamum of the cathedralthat is, a monument that represents religious figures and episodes such as Massacre of the innocentsThe Last Judgment and theAdoration of the Magi, an expression of Gothic art. Important Italian artists participated in the internal decoration of the cathedral, such as Duccio di Buoninsegna with the Majesty and with the stained glass window depicting the stories of the Virgin.
The outside of the Siena cathedral presents a facadealso by Giovanni Pisanowhich recalls the Flowery Gothicwith three portals richly decorated and two turrets on the sides featuring statues of philosophers, apostles and prophets. The upper part of the facade presents tking cuspsof which the central one depicts theLast Supperthe two lateral ones instead depict the Presentation of Mary in the Temple and the Nativity of Jesus. The exterior of the Siena cathedral once again takes on itsalternation of black and white colors and conveys a feeling of grandeur linked not only to the size of the structure, but also to the very detailed decorations which we find on the facade, between statues and different floral ornamentswhich contribute to making the Siena cathedral a masterpiece of Gothic art in Italy.
Image source: [Wikimedia Commons]
