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 its construction in the early 13th century, the cathedral has been central to Sienese identity. The cathedral complex was continuously expanded from its earliest days until the Black Death halted construction in 1348. The citizens of Siena continually advocated for the cathedral to become one of the largest churches in Europe. 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. 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 the 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 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. Sculpted by Vico Consorti and cast by Enrico Manfrini, the scenes on the door represent the Coronation of the Virgin.

The stained-glass round window in the choir was made in 1288 to the designs of Duccio.

thumbnail|left|One of the two tall flagpoles in the Siena Cathedral. During the battle of Montaperti (1260), Bocca degli Abati, a Sienese spy, brought the Florence flag down causing panic among the Florentine soldiers and ultimately their defeat.

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 (1467–1472, originally commissioned for the church of the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala, across the square, and brought to the cathedral in 1506). At the sides of the high altar, the uppermost angels are masterpieces by Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439–1502). This undertaking went on from the 14th to the 16th centuries, and about forty artists made their contribution, the majority of whom were Sienese. The floor consists of 56 panels in different sizes. Most have a rectangular shape, but the later ones in the transept are hexagons or rhombuses. They represent the sibyls, scenes from the Old Testament, allegories, virtues, and figures from the ancient world. Most are still in their original state. The earliest scenes were made by a graffito technique: drilling tiny holes and scratching lines in the marble and filling these with bitumen or mineral pitch.

Giovanni paciarelli, schema del pavimento del duomo di siena, 1884.jpg|A lay-out of the floor of the cathedral

Inside of Siena Cathedral (5771999020).jpg|The She-Wolf, 1360s original reconstructed by Leopoldo Maccari (1865)

Pavimento di siena, ruota della fortuna.jpg|The Wheel of Fortune (1372/1864), nave

Pavimento di siena, sibilla ellespontica.jpg|Neroccio di Bartolomeo de' Landi, The Hellespontine Sibyl (late 15th ct.), aisle

Pavimento di siena, strage degli innocenti (matteo di Giovanni) 01.jpg|Matteo di Giovanni, The Slaughter of the Innocents (1484–1485), left transept

Pavimento di siena, esagono, sacrificio di elia (beccafumi).jpg|Beccafumi, Scene from the Lives of Elijah and Ahab (1519–1524), chancel

Pavimento di siena, marcia del popolo ebraico verso la terra promessa e sacrificio di isacco (beccafumi).jpg|Detail from Abraham's Sacrifice by Beccafumi in the chancel

Duomo di Siena, Sette età dell'uomo.jpg|The Seven Ages of Man (1457/1871), right transept

Pavimento di siena, storie di assalonne (piero del minnella) 02.jpg|Pietro di Tommaso del Minella, The Death of Absalom (1447), right transept

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Nave and aisles

Nave

The nave contains scenes from classical antiquity, which is very unusual in a church from this time period. These additions were primarily included due to the influence of two Sienese popes, Enea Silvio Piccolomini and Francesco Tedeschini Piccolomini, who believed that classical authors and figures held knowledge that is applicable across faith traditions.

The wall tomb of bishop Tommaso Piccolomini del Testa is set above the small door leading to the bell tower. It is the work of the Sienese painter and sculptor Neroccio di Bartolomeo de' Landi in 1483.

The Piccolomini Altarpiece, left of the entrance to the library, is the work of the Lombard sculptor Andrea Bregno in 1483. This altarpiece is remarkable because of the four sculptures in the lower niches, made by the young Michelangelo between 1501 and 1504: Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Saint Gregory (with the help of an assistant) and Saint Pius. On top of the altar is the Madonna and Child, a sculpture (probably) by Jacopo della Quercia.

Many of the Duomo's furnishings, reliquaries, and artwork, have been removed to the adjacent Museo dell'Opera del Duomo. This includes Duccio's Maestà altarpiece, some panels of which are scattered around the world or lost. Duccio's large stained glass window, original to the building, was removed out of precaution during WWII for fear of shattering from bombs or fire. A replica has been installed in the Duomo ever since. The glass depicts a typical Sienese religious subject- three panels of the Death, Assumption, and Coronation of Mary, flanked by the city's most important patron saints, Saint Ansanus; Saint Sabinus; Saint Crescentius; and Saint Victor, and in four corners are the Four Evangelists.

Chapel of Saint John the Baptist

thumb|Saint John the Baptist by Donatello, c. 1455

The Chapel of Saint John the Baptist is situated in the left transept. At the back of this chapel, amidst the rich Renaissance decorations, is the bronze statue of St. John the Baptist by Donatello (c. 1455). In the middle of the chapel is a 15th-century marble font. But most impressive in this chapel are the eight frescos by Pinturicchio, which were commissioned by Alberto Aringhieri and painted between 1504 and 1505. Two of the frescos were repainted in the 17th century, while a third was completely replaced in 1868. The original paintings in the chapel are: Nativity of John the Baptist, John the Baptist in the Desert and John the Baptist Preaching. He also painted two portraits: Aringhieri with the Cloak of the Order of the Knights of Malta and Kneeling Knight in Armour. These two portraits show us a very detailed background.

The Chigi Chapel

thumb|left|Madonna del Voto

The small Chigi Chapel (or Cappella della Madonna del Voto) is situated in the right transept. It is the last, most luxurious sculptural addition to the Duomo, and was commissioned in 1659 by the Sienese Chigi pope Alexander VII. This circular chapel with a gilded dome was built by the German architect Johann Paul Schor to the baroque designs of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, replacing a 15th-century chapel. At the back of the chapel is the Madonna del Voto (by a follower of Guido da Siena, 13th century), that even today is much venerated and receives each year the homages of the contrade. On the eve of the battle of Montaperti (4 September 1260) against Florence, the city of Siena had dedicated itself to the Madonna. The victory of the Sienese, against all odds, over the much more numerous Florentines was ascribed to her miraculous protection.

Two of the four marble sculptures in the niches, are by Bernini himself: Saint Jerome and Mary Magdalene. The other two are Saint Bernardine (Antonio Raggi) and Saint Catherine of Siena (Ercole Ferrata). The eight marble columns are originally from the Lateran Palace in Rome. The bronze gate at the entrance is by Giovanni Artusi.

Piccolomini Library

thumb|Piccolomini Library

The library was commissioned by cardinal Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini (then archbishop of Siena and the future pope Pius III) in 1492. It was intended as a repository of the book collection of his uncle cardinal Enea Silvio Piccolomini, eventually Pope Pius II. This collection included works by his uncle, books in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, and many rare parchments. Today, many of the original collection has been lost, but the library still houses many exquisite illuminated Psalters executed by Liberale da Verona and Girolamo da Cremona between 1466 and 1478 and later carried on by other Sienese illuminators. The main attraction is the hexagonal baptismal font, containing sculptures and refliefs by Donatello, Jacopo della Quercia and Lorenzo Ghiberti.

Crypt

thumb|South wall of the crypt

Located under the Duomo near the baptistry, and rediscovered in 1999 during an excavation, is the cathedral's crypt. Although scholars prior to 1999 believed there was a crypt, as recorded in medieval sources, they did not know to what extent this room was preserved.

Gallery

File:Duomo Siena Italia.jpg|Siena Cathedral

File:Siena-Duomo.jpg|Façade, bell tower, and column with Romulus and Remus

File:Facade window - Duomo - Siena 2016.jpg|Oculus and vivid figures of the west facade

File:Last supper - Stained glass window - Duomo - Siena 2016.jpg|Western stained-glass window depicting the Last Supper

File:Duccio rosetón 01.JPG|The Rose Window by Duccio, 1287 (original, Cathedral Museum)

Altar, Duomo, Siena, Italy.jpg|High altar by Baldassare Peruzzi (1532) and suspended Ciborium by Vecchietta

Domenico beccafumi, angeli cerofori, 1547-51, G 03.JPG|Bronze candlestick angel by Domenico Beccafumi, 1547-51

Donatello, lastra tombale di giovanni pecci, 1426 circa, siena.jpg|Donatello, Tomb slab of Giovanni Pecci, c. 1426

Dom Siena, Piccolomini Altar.jpg|Piccolomini Altar by Andrea Bregno (1481–1485), with figures by Michelangelo (1504)

File:Gruppo delle tre grazie piccolomini, III secolo da un orig. ellenistico 02.JPG|Piccolomini Library, The Three Graces, 3rd ct. Roman copy of a hellenistic original

FIle:Antonio federighi, fonte battesimale, 1465-68, 01.JPG|Baptistry, Baptismal Font by Antonio Federighi, 1465–1468