Knowra Siena Cathedral Siena Cathedral Siena Cathedral is the principal church of Siena, Italy, built and decorated over several centuries. Its striped marble interior and richly ornamented façade exemplify Italian Gothic architecture.
Italian Gothic architecture : A regional form of Gothic architecture distinguished by classical influence, colored stone, and distinctive façade compositions. The cathedral’s pointed arches and elaborate façade belong to this regional tradition.
Siena Cathedral construction : The building campaign that produced Siena Cathedral’s medieval structure and later architectural additions. Its successive phases account for the cathedral’s mixture of styles and materials.
Giovanni Pisano : An Italian sculptor and architect active around the turn of the fourteenth century, known for expressive Gothic sculpture. He designed the cathedral’s sculpted façade and contributed to its architectural program.
Maestà (Duccio) : A monumental altarpiece painted by Duccio for Siena Cathedral and completed in 1311. Its original placement above the high altar made it the cathedral’s central devotional image.
Florence Cathedral : The principal church of Florence, formally known as Santa Maria del Fiore, with a Renaissance dome by Filippo Brunelleschi. Its rivalry with Siena helped shape competing Tuscan ambitions in cathedral scale and design.
Siena Cathedral façade : The cathedral’s elaborate western front, built in phases with marble, sculpture, mosaics, and pinnacles. Its sculpted lower section and later upper section reveal the building’s changing design.
Siena Cathedral enlargement project : A fourteenth-century plan to enlarge Siena Cathedral into one of Europe’s largest churches, abandoned after structural problems and plague. The unfinished nave survives as evidence of the cathedral’s unrealized expansion.
Nicola Pisano : A thirteenth-century Italian sculptor whose pulpit reliefs revived classical forms within medieval Christian art. His workshop created the cathedral’s marble pulpit.
Dramatis Personae (Siena Cathedral floor) : A marble floor panel in Siena Cathedral depicting figures from ancient history and myth. It shows how the floor’s imagery extends beyond biblical subjects.
Orvieto Cathedral : A Gothic cathedral in Umbria, Italy, renowned for its mosaic-covered façade and Luca Signorelli’s frescoes. Its façade offers a striking comparison with Siena’s sculptural and marble-rich front.
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