Cathedral and surroundings
Few buildings say as much about Siena's history and aspirations as the Cathedral. It was completed almost in its current size in 1215 r., and in the period of medieval abundance, its expansion was still planned. First project, taken at the beginning of the fourteenth century., it was to double its size by building a baptistery on the slope below; they were to be used as a basis for extending the central nave, but the work was stopped, because the walls and joints did not bear such a weight. For some time, the chapter thought about demolishing the entire temple and starting construction from scratch., according to the new rules, but in the end the decision was made to reorient the church, using the existing central nave as a transept, and the construction of a new one in the direction of Campo. And this time cracks appeared, a w 1348 r. the Black Death came. The plague decimated the population and there was a shortage of funds, so the plans for the redevelopment were abandoned once and for all. The nave that has begun is still standing at the northern end of the square – should the reconstruction be completed., the cathedral would be the largest church in Italy not counting Rome.
In its current form, the Duomo is, after all, a magnificent building. The style is an astonishing conglomerate of Romanesque and Gothic art., expressed in stripes of black and white marble — an idea borrowed from Pisa and Lucca, but the effect here is bolder and more prominent. In truth, the façade was designed by the Pisan sculptor Giovanni Pisano, in whose workshop most of the statues of philosophers were created, Patriarchs, Prophets, currently replaced by copies. In the next century, a gothic rosette was added. However, with the top mosaics had to wait, until there is money, and only in the nineteenth century. the work was commissioned to Venetian artists.
The use of black and white decoration continues in the marble pavilion sgraffito, which begins with a geometric pattern outside the church, and inside it turns into an amazing sequence 56 Discs. Completed in the period from 1349 do 1547 r. and practically every artist working in the city put his hand to them. Many of them are extremely vague, for example. Allegory of the Virtue of Pinturicchia (rocky snake island with a naked figure set between the boat and the mainland) in the central nave. The most beautiful plates are considered to be Moses getting water from the rock and the Sacrifice of Abraham, just behind the dome space. Except for the period from 7 do 22 August they are covered.
The rest of the interior is equally fascinating, with a row of heads of popes — many carved with a clear emphasis on the perversity of the figure — placed above the striped pillars. One of the greatest individual treasures of art is the baptismal font of Nicolo Pisana – completed on an identical order in Pisa, but more varied, with details in a bas-relief depicting the Life of Christ and the Last Judgment – and a bronze statue of St.. John the Baptist in the northern transept. In the middle of the length of the central nave, to the left is the entrance to Libreria Piccolomini (codz. 9.00-19.00, winter 9.00-17.00; 1500 L), signaled by a brilliant color fresco Coronation of Pius II Pinturicchio. In the library itself there are ten further frescoes by Pinturicchio and his disciples (to which Raphael belonged), illustrating scenes from the life of Pius—his journey to Scotland, canonization of St.. Catherine and the marriage of Frederick Barbarossa and Eleanor of Portugal in front of the Sienese Porta Camollia.
Piazza and Baptistery
Opposite the cathedral is the medieval Ospedale di Santa Maria di Scala, still used as a hospital, with fifteenth-century frescoes in Sala dei Pelegrini. The other pages of The Friday tell of the former power of Siena; there are the Bishop's Palace, Palazzo del Magnifico, built in 1508 r. for Petruccich, and Palazzo Granducale, erected later in the century for the Medici.
To the Baptistery (9.00-13.00 i 15.00-18.00; Free entrance) you can reach the stairs behind the cathedral, next to something like a "museum", Crypta delle Statue. The Gothic façade of the baptistery is unfinished, and inside there is a Renaissance baptismal font with tablets illustrating the life of John the Baptist Jacopa della Quercia (Angel announcing the birth of the Baptist), Lorenzo Ghiberti (The Baptism of Christ and John in Prison) and Donatella (Herod's Feast). Take plenty of coins for lighting.
Museo dell’0pera del Duomo
After the Museo Civico, the best collection of art in Siena is held by the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (codz. 9.00-19.30; 4000 L), occupying protruding, reoriented central nave. Upstairs, among an extensive exhibition of cathedral monuments, there are a number of beautiful panel paintings – including works by Simone Martini, Lorenzetti's floor and The Sana di Floor — as well as the original altar painting of the cathedral, Raw, a poignant Byzantine icon, called Madonna dagli occhi grossi (Madonna with big eyes).
However, the object, for which it is worth incurring the cost of the entrance ticket, is the second altar painting, Maesta Duccia. After completing the work in 1311 r., it was processionally transferred from the artist's studio through Campo to the cathedral for a solemn mass; everything in the city was closed and practically the whole population watched. She could only feel admiration, for the painting is the culmination of the Sienese style in painting — Byzantine spirituality is accompanied by Ducci's realism of details in the quarters depicting the Life of Christ and the Virgin Mary.
An additional advantage of the museum is the possibility of entering the top of the "new nave", from where the view is maybe even better than from Torre di Mangia.