About The Duomo of Siena (Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta):
The Cathedral of Siena, is a considered a Gothic masterpiece, built between 1215 and 1263. Its black-and-white marble facade, intricate mosaics, and bell tower define its iconic look. The Cathedral is a veritable museum of Italian art of the Renaissance. Some of the best known artists of Italy were involved in various aspects of the design and construction.
What makes the Duomo of Siena so interesting is the five sculptors involved over a period of five centuries:
Nicola Pisano was the original architect, and then his son, Giovanni Pisano, became chief architect of the cathedral’s facade. He populated it with prophets, sibyls, and philosophers, pagan and biblical, side by side.
Later came Donatello, who sculpted a Saint John the Baptist in the 1450’s showing an emaciated, wild-eyed desert mystic.
Then a 26-year-old arrived: Michelangelo. He carved four saints for the Piccolomini Altar: Paul, Peter, Gregory, Augustine
And then Bernini. In the 1660s, summoned by a Sienese pope, he built a new chapel. Bernini’s Saint Jerome is gaunt and shaking. His Mary Magdalene collapses in a wave of divine torment.
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.
Work on the west façade began around 1284. Built using polychrome marble, the work was overseen by Giovanni Pisano whose work on the Duomo’s façade and the pulpit was 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 exaggerated poses and features, to enable them to be seen from far away
Giovanni Pisano was able to oversee his work until about 1296 when he abruptly left Siena, reportedly over creative differences with the Opera del Duomo. Pisano’s work on the 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 abrupt end in 1317 when the Opera del Duomo redirected all efforts to the east façade.
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 works 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.
he 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.
The interior boasts works by masters like Michelangelo, Donatello, and Bernini, with highlights including the Piccolomini Library’s vivid frescoes and the inlaid marble floor depicting historical and biblical scenes. The cathedral’s dome, inspired by Byzantine architecture, and the adjacent Baptistery of San Giovanni add to its grandeur
The stained-glass round window in the choir was made in 1288 to the designs of Duccio.[1]Divided into registers, the window depicts the Assumption of the Virgin. It is one of the earliest remaining examples of Italian stained glass.[2] 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.[9]
One of the two 18 m (60 ft) 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).[4]
Pulpit by Nicola Pisano, 1265–1268
The pulpit was commissioned by Bishop Federico Visconti and sculpted in Carrara marble between the end of 1265 and November 1268 by Nicola Pisano and several other artists. The whole message of the pulpit is concerned with the doctrine of Salvation and the Last Judgment. In the top level, seven reliefs narrate the Life of Christ. The many figures in each scene with their chiaroscuro effect, show a richness of surface, motion, and narrative. On the middle-level statuettes of the Evangelists and Prophets announce the salvation of mankind. The pulpit itself is the earliest remaining work in the cathedral. The staircase dates from 1543 and was built by Bartolomeo Neroni.
The inlaid marble mosaic floor is one of the most ornate of its kind in Italy, covering the whole floor of the cathedral. Visitors have been amazed by the stunning effect of these floors for centuries. Indeed, Giorgio Vasari, an Italian Renaissance painter and architect, claimed the floor was “the most beautiful … great and magnificent pavement ever made.” 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. In a later stage black, white, green, red, and blue marble intarsia were used. This technique of marble inlay also evolved during the years, finally resulting in a vigorous contrast of light and dark, giving it an almost modern, impressionistic composition.
The uncovered floor can only be seen for a period of six to ten weeks each year, generally including the month of September. The rest of the year, the pavements near the altar are covered, and only some near the entrance may be viewed.
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.
At the entrance of the nave is a scene containing Hermes Trismegistus, a popular figure of the fifteenth century who was seen as “the founder of human wisdom.”Designed by Giovanni di Stefano in 1488, this panel welcomes visitors into the church and introduces the theme of knowledge that develops throughout the nave and side aisles.
The She-Wolf Suckling Romulus and Remus, or The She-Wolf of Siena was originally created in the 1360s but heavily restored by Leopoldo Maccari in 1865. It portrays a wolf in the center surrounded by eight smaller circles, each depicting the emblem of major Italian cities.
Allegory of the Mount of Wisdom was designed by Pinturicchio in 1505 and completed in 1506 by Paolo Mannuci. This complicated scene includes a feminine personification of Fortune who is leading a group of wise men up a rocky, dangerous path to great the female personification of Wisdom.
The final panel in the nave is Wheel of Fortune (completed in 1372 and restored in 1864 by Leopoldo Maccari).[2] The central image is of a wheel, where a king sits at the top and three male figures cling to the wheel. Surrounding the wheel are four figures depicting philosophers from the ancient world
Side aisles
The side aisles along the nave are decorated with ten panels (five in each aisle) of the Sibyls.[2] Each panel contains a Sibyl that is an allegorical representation of the known world of the time, as identified by an accompanying inscription: Persian Sibyl, Hellespontine Sibyl, Eritrean Sibyl, Phrygian Sibyl, Samian Sibyl, Delphic Sibyl, Libyan Sibyl, Cimmerian Sibyl, Cumaen Sibyl, and Tiburtine Sibyl. The effect of these allegorical figures represent the universality of the Christian message. Each full-length Sibyl is contrasted against a black and red background, and illustrated in a variety of poses with flowing robes.
Transepts and chancel
The scenes in the transepts and chancel represent biblical stories and mark the thematic transition from the scenes in the naves and aisles, which depicted figures from classical antiquity. The biblical scenes all focus on the theme of humanity’s salvation.
The left transept contains three large panels: The Expulsion of Herod, The Slaughter of the Innocents, and The Story of Judith. The Expulsion of Herod by Benvenuto di Giovanni (1484–1485) in an incredibly intricate scene representing God’s revenge against Herod, the persecutor of John the Baptist. The Slaughter of the Innocents by Matteo di Giovanni is one of the most awe-inspiring panels of the cathedral, and has evoked emotional responses from visitors since its creation in 1481. The panel articulates the desperation of the mothers who are trying to save their babies from the slaughter of malicious guards. The Story of Judith by Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1473), located near the pulpit, depicts the Old Testament narrative of Judith beheading Holofernes, an enemy general.
The majority of the panels in the chancel are grouped together in a large hexagonal portion of the pavement and depict Scenes from the Lives of Elijah and Ahab. Each of these scenes are either designed within a hexagonal panel or smaller rhombus-shaped panel. The upper half of these scenes (four of the seven hexagons and two of the six rhombuses) were completed from 1519–1524 by Domenico Beccafumi, who was the most renowned Sienese artist of his time. He worked on cartoons for the floor for thirty years (1518–1547) and made vast contributions to the cathedral’s pavement. The lower portion wasn’t completed until 1878 by Alessandro Franchi.
Beccafumi’s eight-meter long frieze Moses Striking Water from the Rock was completed in 1525. The work marks a technical and stylistic shift from Beccafumi’s earlier work. Here, the artist used different tones within the same piece of marble to create figures heavily contrasted by light and shadow. The subsequent section, also by Beccafumi, portrays Scenes from the Life of Moses on Mount Sinai. The large panel, completed from 1525–1529, is a continuation of the previous story and employs a similar technical and stylistic method. Rather than isolating each scene within a panel, the entire panel merges the scenes together in one combined section.
Next are five panels arranged horizontally: Joshua Defeats the Five Kings of the Amorites, David the Psalmist between David the Slingsman and Goliath Falling Backwards, and Samson Chastising the Philistines. The scenes portraying David are credited to Domenico di Niccolò dei Cori (1413–1423), the first known artist to work on the panels. His successor, Paolo di Martino, completed Joshua Defeats the Five Kings of the Amorites and Samson Chastising the Philistines between 1424 and 1426 which contain more details than the previous panels.[2]
The final panel in the chancel, located directly in front of the altar, is Abraham’s Sacrifice of Isaac.[2] Completed in 1547 by Beccafumi, the scene contains one large panel with the story, surrounded by smaller rectangular panels of related scenes.[11]
Bordering the main altar is a geometric pattern containing five circular panels which depict Mercy and The Four Cardinal Virtues (Fortitude, Justice, Prudence, and Good Government).The panels date from 1406, as established by a payment made to Marchese d’Adamo and his fellow workers who executed the cartoons of Sienese painters.
The right transept contains five sections of panels: The Seven Ages of Man, Religion and the Theological Virtues, The Story of Jephthah, The Death of Absalom, and Emperor Sigismund.
The Seven Ages of Man is a collection of six octagonal panels surrounding a central rectangular panel and woven together by a geometric rope-inspired pattern. They depict the stages of life a man goes through, from infancy to death. The majority of the original work by Antonio Federighi in 1457 was reconstructed in 1871.[11]
Religion and the Theological Virtues is a set of panels, depicting an allegory of religion and three personifications of theological virtues (Hope, Faith, and Charity). The original works from 1780 were replaced a century later by designs by Alessandro Franchi.[11]
The Story of Jephthah is credited to Francesco di Giorgio Martini, and notably contains sixty characters throughout the panel. The finer details of the narrative have been lost over time.[11]
The Death of Absalom by Pietro di Tommaso del Minella (1447) narrates a group of soldiers finding King David’s sin, Absalom, hanging dead from a tree. The figures are contrasted by a foreground of red marble, and a background of black marble.[2]
In 1434 the renowned painter Domenico di Bartolo completed the panel Emperor Sigismund Enthroned. The Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund was popular in Siena, because he resided there for ten months on his way to Rome for his coronation.[2]Today, the details are incredibly faded.[11]
Works of art
Saint Paul by Michelangelo Buonarroti
The cathedral’s valuable pieces of art including The Feast of Herod by Donatello, and works by Bernini and the young Michelangelo make it an extraordinary museum of Italian sculpture. The Annunciation between St. Ansanus and St. Margaret, a masterwork of Gothic painting by Simone Martini and Lippo Memmi, decorated a side altar of the church until 1799, when it was moved to the Uffizi of Florence.[4]
The funeral monument for cardinal Riccardo Petroni (1250–1314, a jurisconsult of Pope Boniface VIII) was erected between 1317 and 1318 by the Sienese sculptor Tino di Camaino. He had succeeded his father as the master-builder of the Siena cathedral. The marble monument in the left transept is the earliest example of 14th-century funeral architecture. It is composed of a richly decorated sarcophagus, held aloft on the shoulders of four statues. Above the sarcophagus, two angels draw apart a curtain, revealing the cardinal lying on his deathbed, accompanied by two guardian angels. The monument is crowned by a spired tabernacle with statues of the Madonna and Child, Saint Peter and Saint Paul.[4]
In the pavement, in front of this monument, lies the bronze tombstone of Bishop Giovanni di Bartolomeo Pecci, bishop of Grosseto, made by Donatello in 1427. It shows the dead prelate laid out in a concave bier in highly illusionistic low relief. Looking at it obliquely from the end of the tomb, gives the impression of a three-dimensionality. It was originally located in front of the high altar and moved to the present location in 1506.[14]
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
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.
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.
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.[15] 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’.[2]
Adjoined to the left-side of the cathedral, the entrance is set apart by a large marble wall monument, with two grand arches.[15] This marble entrance was constructed by Lorenzo di Mariano in 1497. It contains a round relief of St. John the Evangelist (probably) by Giovanni di Stefano and, below the altar, a polychrome Pietà by the sculptor Alberto di Betto da Assisi in 1421. Above this marble monument is a fresco of the Papal Coronation of Pius III by Pinturicchio in 1504.[2]
Entering the room, there is an unmistakable stylistic shift within the library, compared to the rest of the cathedral; whereas the cathedral is more somber and dark, the library is filled with light and bright colors.[15] Much of the color comes from the many frescoes that cover the entirety of the walls and ceilings.
The walls are covered with depictions of the ten most important scenes from the life of Pope Pius II, to whom the library is dedicated.[15] Pinturicchio painted this cycle of frescos around the library between 1502 and 1507, representing Raphael and himself in several of them. There is some controversy whether these frescos were based, at least partially, on designs by Raphael.[2] This masterpiece is full of striking detail and vivacious colours. Each scene is explained in Latin by the text below, and demonstrate the remarkable events from the secular and religious career of Enea Silvio Piccolomini, first as a high prelate, then bishop, a cardinal and ultimately as pope Pius II:[2]
Traveling to The Duomo of Siena (Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta):
Address:Piazza del Duomo, 8, 53100 Siena SI, Italy