One of the most famous landmarks in Florence is the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Its famous reddish dome, visible from far away, seems to hover over the city. When the cathedral was designed, they decided to surprise the whole world - in terms of the size of the area it will not be equal, it had to accommodate the entire population of the city (at that time it was 90 thousand people). The cathedral impresses with its size and architectural decoration, but it can only accommodate 30 thousand people.
The decision to build a cathedral was taken by the city government of Florence in 1289 and invited one of the best architects - Arnolfo di Campio. For the basics, the master took the form of a Latin cross - three naves, two lateral transepts and a semicircular apse, all in the traditional manner of the Romano-Gothic style. Moreover, the dome of the main nave was supposed to be like that of the Roman Pantheon.
The temple was erected on the site of the old Cathedral of Santa Reparata, which stood for 9 centuries. During this time, it has become very dilapidated. The city fathers strove to surpass their rivals from the cities of Pisa and Siena, whose cathedrals were distinguished by their extraordinary beauty.
After the death of di Campio in 1302, construction of the cathedral was suspended for almost 30 years. Only in 1331 the guild of the wool merchants of Florence took charge of the further construction of the cathedral and appointed Giotto as the chief architect. But this master, who began to build the bell tower, died in 1337. And then a nationwide disaster struck - the plague. Construction stopped again.
Work on the cathedral was resumed only in 1349 under the leadership of several architects. They finished Giotto's bell tower, almost without changing its appearance, and expanded the construction area.
But barely in 1380 were the walls of the main nave finished. How did the dome problems arise? There was a break in work again for almost 40 years. And here the services for the construction of the 42-meter dome were offered not by the architect, but by the jeweler Filippo Brunelleschi. He proposed to design special machines that could lift the necessary materials to a height.
The city fathers trusted the young jeweler and were not mistaken - the master realized his plans in a short line and built a dome without scaffolding resting on the ground. This high dome defined the majesty of the cathedral and became a characteristic silhouette throughout Florence.
In 1436, the Cathedral of Santa Mpriya del Fiore was consecrated by Pope Eugene IV.
