The Duomo, the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Flower, was built at the end of the 13th century over the old church St. Reparata, which the parish had outgrown. Over the next 170 years the Duomo was expanded, and finally in 1436, Brunelleschi, creating a "modern" marvel, figured out how to completed the dome, which had been left open. The facade of pink and green marble was completed between 1871 and 1887 based on Fabris' design. The first time we saw the Duomo was at night, and I think the lighting better reflects the color, considerable brighter than I remembered. Inside, the dome, painted by Vasari and Zuccari, reflected another common theme - The Last Judgement. The risen Christ, the judge, is in the center with heaven above and hell below. Mary is there to intercede, while the pagan god Kronos holds the hourglass and a skeleton - for mankind's time is up. Apart from the dome ceiling, there is a sobriety and simplicity to the interior which surprised us considering the exterior. Worshipers were just to look from the crucifix on the alter up to the dome and the risen Christ. In the crypt, the remains of the old church from early Roman times (5th century) was still visible, as well as some mosaics and carvings.
Gilberti's Gates of Paradise, on the Duomo side of the Baptistry, have now been replaced with reproductions. The originals were cleaned over a 20 year period and now reside in the Duomo Museum, in a sealed glass case to prevent further oxidation and corrosion of the gold. When I originally saw them on the Baptistry, they were black. Now it is easy to see the perspective that Gilberti was able to create. These 10 panels reflect stories from the Bible, so note David and Goliath.
The museum also contained the Pieta that Michelangelo sculpted for his own tomb. The Nicodemus figure has Michelangelo's face. Frustrated at the poor quality of the marble, Michelangelo, in a tirade, took a hammer to it and broke off limbs. Some of the damage was later repaired by assistants, but you can see the cracks.
Luca Della Robbia's cherub panels for the choir loft were joyous, and the original 28 panels by Pisano on the Campanile gave us a laugh - Eve from Adam's side and Noah inventing wine.
The Baptistry of St. John the Baptist, older than the church and thought to be a converted pagan Roman temple, had a ceiling of shimmering, Venetian glass mosaic. It was incredibly beautiful with again the Last Judgement theme, but surrounded with Bible stories. In the panels we could follow the creation story through the Annunciation to the empty tomb. There were also panels for the Baptistry's namesake, whose beheading was another much illustrated story.
Bringing our eyes downward to leave, we marveled at the mosaic floors of the Baptistry with all their different patterns. Then, tackling the 413 steps of the Campanile or Giotto's Tower, we climbed 270 feet above the square for some amazing views of this much loved city.
No comments:
Post a Comment