The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

The lyricist Rainer Maria Rilke was once almost speechless when he saw the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. "I thought I was sinking in the great waves of an alien glory," he is said to have said later, expressing his impressions of the stone splendour of this mighty building. In the past, almost 30,000 worshippers could be seated under the impressive dome of the Florentine cathedral. Only St. Peter's Basilica in the Roman Vatican, St. Paul's Cathedral in London, the Cathedral of Milan and the Cathedral of Seville have now eclipsed Santa Maria del Fiore in their dimensions.

The dome should surpass everything

The foundation stone of the "Holy Mary of the Flower" was laid on September 8, 1296, in accordance with a design by the Italian architect and sculptor Arnolfo di Cambio. He was obsessed with the vision of building a place of worship that differed in essential features from the previous models. According to his ideas, three wide aisles were to unite in a large choir in front of the high altar. Above all, however, there was to be a dome that surpassed anything the church world had known up to that time. However, after Arnolfo di Cambio's death in 1310 and not least due to the influence of the Medici family, changes were made to the original concept of the first cathedral architect over the centuries.

A huge vault without scaffolding

The largest brick-covered church dome in the world was finally designed in 1420 by Filippo Brunelleschi. Brunelleschi, who had acquired his knowledge of mathematical formulae during his stay in Rome, studied the construction of the ancient Pantheon on the banks of the Tiber and developed a concept for the dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore with a vault that did not require scaffolding. This church became the towering work of his life, and its dome rises 107 meters into the sky above Florence. It was completed in 1436.

An important church of Christianity

Those who visit the Duomo today, as the episcopal see of the Archdiocese of Florence, find themselves in one of the towering works of early Renaissance and Gothic art. The church is 160 meters long and 43 meters wide, making it one of the largest and most important churches in Christendom. The dome also reflects the power of Tuscan society in the Middle Ages. Brunelleschi created some statues for the cathedral, because originally the brilliant architect wanted to earn his money as a sculptor. Some of his works, like Michelangelo's "Pietà", can be found in a museum attached to the cathedral.

The impressive "Mandoria" gate

Also worth seeing in Florence Cathedral is the impressive north gate, christened "della Mandoria - the almond", which takes its name from a shrine containing the figure of the Virgin. Also preserved are some frescoes dedicated to the generals Giovanni Acuto and Niccolò da Tolentino. Last but not least, the stained glass windows of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore are worthy of note. Artists who were unrivalled in the mid-15th century worked on them: Andrea des Castagno, Paolo Uccello and last but not least Donatello, who was also a brilliant painter.

A bell tower in honour of Giotto

The reliefs of the stately Campanile are primarily the work of Giotto di Bondone. In his honour, Florence christened the bell tower the "Giotto Campanile". When the master builder died, Andrea Pisano completed his work. The reliefs depict the creation of man and woman and the seven planets. The remaining works are dedicated to the virtues, the seven sacraments, the liberal arts, patriarchs, prophets and the kings of Israel. Admission to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is free. Guided tours are available for groups.