The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, known more commonly as Il Duomo, is Florence’s most famous landmark. It stands out amongst the Renaissance’s golden, terracotta rooftops with its stained-glass windows, intricate green, red, and white marble facade, and most importantly, its massive masonry dome whose continued existence alone tells the incredible story of architectural success.
The cathedral’s construction was overseen by multiple architects prior to and during the Renaissance, but only one unlikely figure managed to turn a wildly unimaginable dream into reality. America Domani has compiled a brief list of six interesting facts regarding the stunning Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore for your next trip to the Renaissance city.
It took 140 years to complete
A local committee came up with plans to build a grandiose cathedral of the city in 129, but lacked the resources and technology to do so. It sat abandoned for over 100 years until a young goldsmith found the solution.
It has the largest masonry dome in the world
It’s made with over four million bricks and weighs over 40,000 tons.
Filippo Brunelleschi designed and built the domed rooftop of Santa Maria del Fiore
Prior to this Herculean effort, Brunelleschi was a trained goldsmith and had never built anything in his life. He took over the building in 1420, 127 years after the cathedral had first begun construction.
The domed roof was completed in just 16 years
Completed in 1436, just 16 years after taking on the project, Brunelleschi managed to resolve an impossible task that others had been striving to find a solution to for the last 140 years. His dome consisted of two layers: an inner shell and an outer shell that protected it from the weather and was more aesthetically pleasing. Both shells are supported by 24 stone arches, and tie rings of stone held together with metal clamps run horizontally between the arches to prevent outward thrust.
Santa Maria del Fiore is the third largest cathedral in the world
The largest cathedral in the world is St. Peter’s in Rome, followed by St. Paul’s in London.
The Baptistery is famous for its elaborate bronze doors known as “The Gates of Paradise.”
They were created by Lorenzo Ghiberti, a winner of a citywide competition held in 1401. Ghiberti beat out then-23-year-old Filippo Brunelleschi for the honor.
Asia London Palomba
Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy. In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura, The Christian Science Monitor, and Grub Street, New York Magazine's food section. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli.