A few Days in Italy in Fall 2017 – Part 7 – Florence 3

What would Florence be without the Florence Cathedral? A whole lot less. This blog post features the Cathedral, the Baptistery, and the Campanile or Bell Tower.

Colonna di San Zanobi

Colonna di San Zanobi
In the 9th century the remains of San Zenobi were being transferred from the church of San Lorenzo to the then Cathedral of Santa Reparata. At the time San Lorenzo was outside the city walls and the Hungarians invading the country. While moving them in Winter they brushed against an Elm tree and it started to grow leaves. Nice story eh? So the column marks the spot where the tree was and has a metal tree image as well.

The cross above a crown of fire – and a dove

Pink Boy above an entrance to the Opera of San Giovanni next to the Colonna di S. Zanobi

The Baptistery

Battistero di San Giovanni and the Bell Tower in front of the Cathedral

It is also called Baptistry of Saint John. It is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the city. Construction started in 1059 and it took 68 years to complete it.

Above the South Door

Detail of the South Door: He preaches to the Pharisees. He announces Christ. Baptism of his disciples. Baptism of Jesus.

Porta del Paradiso – The Gates of Paradise

Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore

Or the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower or simply the Duomo di Firenze – the Florence Cathedral. Construction has begun in 1296 and it was structurally completed with the dome in 1436. Like most churches inside of old cities, it was built at the site of an older church. The oldest one on this site dates back all the way to 393! The (still) largest masonry dome in the world dominates all the pictures of Florence from above. It was constructed with 37.000 tons of material and over 4 million bricks alone. There is nothing left from the original façade. The Grand Duke Francesco I de’ Medici ordered its dismantling in 1587. The competition for a new one turned into a big corruption scandal and the church was left bare till 1876 when they started work on the façade you see now. It is made of green, white and red marble in a neo-gothic style. Together with the Baptistery and Giotto’s bell tower, it forms quite a harmonious entity.

Above the left entrance. The mosaic was made in Venice in 1886 after drawings by Nicolò Barabino. It shows the “Charity among the founders of Florentine philanthropic institutions”. On the left the Statues of cardinal Valeriani and on the right the bishop Agostino Tinacci

Further up more guys – the twelve Apostles

The pediment above the central portal contains a half-relief by Tito Sarrocchi of Mary enthroned holding a flowered scepter. And six more Apostels

Giotto's Campanile or Bell Tower on the right- The tower is square in plan with 14.45 metre (47.41 ft) wide sides. It is 84.7 metres (277.9 ft) tall and has polygonal buttresses at each corner

So many details

Above the right portal

No – I mean it – NO!

Ohhhhhhhh! Why not???

Quiet up there!

All this fighting – All the time :-(

Let’s go inside the Florence Cathedral

The counter-façade with the Coronation of the Virgin by Gaddo Gaddi

Joshua

Arnolfo di Cambio – the architect

Ora Pro Animis – Pray for Souls!

He got the swinging moves!

On the left a bust of Giotto at work and on the ride a bust of Brunelleschi

Saint Zenobius seated with his deacons St. Crescentius and St. Eugenius kneeling at the sides

Equestrian Monument of Niccolò da Tolentino

Equestrian monument of John Hawkwood (Giovanni Acuto) by Paolo Uccello

King David

This window is from 1395

Domenico di Michelino's Dante and the Divine Comedy

The famous dome – took 16 years to build it alone. The painting is over 4000 square metres big!

Brunelleschi's dome with a fresco of the Last Judgement by Vasari

The Vegliardi of the Apocalypse by Giorgio Vasari

The Last Judgement on the left – Hell down right

The altar with the Cruzifix from Benedetto da Maiano

S. Giacomo Minore on the left

San Giacomo Maggiore

Isaiah by Bernardo Ciuffagni

One of the many paintings

He cleans wax all day long

The work never stops

The Bell Tower door

Porta dei Canonici

Arnolfo di Cambio – There he sits and looks at his creation

You will see so many details on this church

Annunciation by David Ghirlandaio, lunette of the door of the Almond

Madonna della Cintola by Nanni di Banco, tympanum of the door of the Almond

Porta di Balla – Of course, every door is decorated different

The door on the north side of the building

The last one for for this Blog Post

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