Pisa Cathedral
Pisa Cathedral Primatial Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary | |
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Il Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta | |
Pisa |
Pisa Cathedral (
History
Construction on the cathedral began in 1063 (1064 according to the Pisan calendar of the time) by the architect
The church was erected outside Pisa's early medieval walls, to show that Pisa had no fear of being attacked.[citation needed] The chosen area had already been used in the Lombard era as a necropolis and at the beginning of the 11th century a church had been erected here, but never finished, that was to be named Santa Maria.[citation needed] Buscheto's grand new church was initially called Santa Maria Maggiore until it was officially named Santa Maria Assunta.[citation needed]
In 1092 the cathedral was declared primatial church, archbishop Dagobert having been given the title of Primate by Pope Urban II. The cathedral was consecrated in 1118 by Pope Gelasius II, who belonged to the Caetani family which was powerful both in Pisa and in Rome.
In the early 12th century the cathedral was enlarged under the direction of architect Rainaldo, who increased the length of the nave by adding three bays consistent with the original style of Buscheto, enlarged the transept, and planned a new facade which was completed by workers under the direction of the sculptors Guglielmo and Biduino.[3] The exact date of the work is unclear: according to some, the work was done right after the death of Buscheto about the year 1100, though others say it was done closer to 1140. In any case, work was finished in 1180, as documented by the date written on the bronze knockers made by Bonanno Pisano found on the main door.
The December 1187 papal election took place in Pisa Cathedral, with Paulino Scolari being elected Pope Clement III.[4]
The structure's present appearance is the result of numerous restoration campaigns that were carried out in different eras. The first radical interventions occurred after the fire of 1595, following which the roof was replaced and sculptors from the workshop of Giambologna, among whom were Gasparo Mola and Pietro Tacca, created the three bronze doors of the facade. In the early 18th century began the redecoration of the inside walls of the cathedral with large paintings, the "quadroni", depicting stories of the blesseds and saints of Pisa. These works were made by the principal artists of the era, and a group of citizens arranged for the special financing of the project. Successive interventions occurred in the 19th century and included both internal and external modifications; among the latter was the removal of the original facade statues (presently in the cathedral museum) and their replacement with copies.
Other notable interventions include: the dismantling of Giovanni Pisano's pulpit between 1599 and 1601 that only in 1926 was reassembled and returned to the cathedral (with some original pieces missing, including the staircase); and the dismantling of the monument to Henry VII made by Lupo di Francesco that was found in front of the door of San Ranieri and later substituted by a simpler, symbolic version.
Description
The original building plan was a
Exterior
The rich exterior decoration contains multicolored marble, mosaic, and numerous bronze objects from the spoils of war, among which is the Pisa Griffin, now a copy. The arrival of the griffin in Pisa has been attributed to numerous Pisan military victories of the 11th and 12th centuries, including the 1087 Mahdia Campaign and the 1113–15 Balearic Expedition. The griffin was placed on a platform atop a column rising from the gable above the apse at the east end of the roof, probably as continuation of the original construction that started in 1064. In the early 19th century the original sculpture, which can now be seen in the cathedral museum, was removed from the roof and replaced with a copy. The high arches show Islamic and southern Italian influence.Ref? The blind arches with lozenge shapes recall similar structures in Armenia.Ref? The facade of grey and white marble, decorated with colored marble inserts, was built by Master Rainaldo. Above the three doorways are four levels of loggia divided by cornices with marble intarsia, behind which open single, double, and triple windows.
The cathedral was heavily damaged by a fire in 1595. The heavy bronze doors of the façade were newly designed, executed and completed in 1602 by sculptors from the circle of
Contrary to what might be thought, from the beginning the faithful entered the cathedral through the Gate of Saint Rainerius, found in the south transept of the same name, which faces the bell tower. For townsfolk approaching by via Santa Maria it was the shortest way to enter the cathedral. The door wings were cast about 1180 by Bonanno Pisano, and it is the only door not destroyed in 1595. The 24 bronze reliefs show stories of the New Testament. This bronze portal is one of the first produced in Italy during the Middle Ages, and is a forerunner of the bronze doors created by Andrea Pisano for the Baptistery in Florence (1329–1336).
Interior
The interior, subdivided at the front into a central
The inside of the dome, found where the central nave and the transepts cross, is decorated using a rare painting technique called encaustic[6][7] and depicts the Virgin in glory with saints by the Pisan artists Orazio and Girolamo Riminaldi (1627–1631). Restoration of the dome began in 2015 and was concluded in 2018.[8]
The granite Corinthian columns between the nave and the apse come from the mosque of Palermo, and are Pisan spoils retained in 1063 after a successful joint attack with the Normans on the Muslims in that city.
The large mosaic in the apse of Christ enthroned between the Virgin and Saint John is famous for the face of Saint John, painted by Cimabue in 1302, which miraculously survived the fire of 1595. This is the last work painted by Cimabue and the only work of his for which we have certified documentation. The work evokes the mosaics of the Byzantine and Norman churches found in Cefalù and Monreale in Sicily. The mosaic, in large part made by Francesco da Pisa, was brought to completion by Vincino da Pistoia with the Madonna on the left side (1320).
Among the medieval works that avoided destruction during the fire of 1595 are the fresco of the Madonna with Child in the triumphal arch by the Pisan artist Maestro di San Torpè, as well as the cosmati pavement, work rarely found outside of Lazio. It was made using inlaid marble to create geometric patterns (mid-12th century). Other fresco fragments from the late medieval period have survived, among which is Saint Jerome on one of the four central pylons, as well as Saint John the Bapstist, a Crucifixion, and Saints Cosmas and Damian on one of the pylons near the entrance, partially hidden by the entry way.
The pulpit
The pulpit, a masterpiece made by Giovanni Pisano (1302–1310), survived the fire but was dismantled during the work of restoration and was not reassembled until 1926. With its intricate architecture and its complex sculptural decoration the work presents one of the most sweeping narratives of the 13th-century imagination which reflects the religious renewal and fervor of the era. On the slightly curved panels are sculpted with an expressive language the episodes of the life of Christ. The structure is polygonal (as in similar pulpits in the pulpit in the Pisa Baptistery by Giovanni's father Nicola Pisano (1260), in the Siena Cathedral Pulpit, and in Giovanni's pulpit of Sant' Andrea, Pistoia; but this is the first example in a work of this type in which the panels are slightly curved. Other features include:
the presence of caryatids, sculpted figures in place of simple columns, that symbolize the Virtues; the use of scrolled 'shelving' in place of arches to support the raised platform; the sense of movement given by the numerous figures that fill up every empty space. For these qualities united to the skillful narrative art of the nine scenes the pulpit is generally considered to be a masterpiece, but more broadly it is considered a masterpiece of Italian gothic sculpture. This pulpit substituted the previous one made by Guglielmo (1157–1162) that was sent to the Cagliari Cathedral. Given the lack of documentation prior to its dismantling, the pulpit was placed in a location different from its original spot, and without doubt, its parts are not in their original positions either. It is unknown if the original work possessed a marble staircase.
Works of art
The church also houses the relics of
The 27 paintings that cover the galleries behind the main altar, depicting Stories of the Old Testament and Stories of the Life of Christ, were made between the 16th and 17th centuries mostly by Tuscan artists, among whom are Andrea del Sarto (three works: Saint Agnes, Saints Catherine and Margaret, and Saints Peter and John the Baptist), il Sodoma, and Domenico Beccafumi (Stories of Moses and the Evangelists).
Numerous and prestigious are the sacred furnishings of the church, including the bronze crucifix found on the main altar, and the angel candleholders placed at the ends of the rich marble transenna, made by
The cathedral, like the leaning bell tower, is sinking perceptibly into the ground, and a few indications of this instability are visible. For example, the difference in the floor levels of the original nave of Buscheto and the bays which were added later by Rainaldo.
The cathedral's original gràdule?, constructed by Giovanni Pisano and dating from the late 13th century, were replaced in 1865 by the present
Organs
Inside the cathedral are found the Serassi organ made between 1831 and 1835, as well as an organ made in 1977 by the company Mascioni of Cuvio.
Main artists who worked in the cathedral
- Buscheto (architect)
- Rainaldo (elongation of nave, bays, and facade)
- Guglielmo (original pulpit and marble decoration)
The three artists listed above are buried in the cathedral.
- Cimabue (mosaic in the apse)
- Tino da Camaino(funeral monument of Henry VII)
- Bonanno Pisano (original bronze doors)
- Giambologna and his school (bronze doors of the facade)
- Giovanni Pisano (pulpit)
- Nicola Pisano e Giovanni Pisano (crown around the dome)Ref?
- Pietro Tacca (crucifix and angel candle bearers)
- Andrea del Sarto (various paintings)
- Il Sodoma (various paintings)
- Giovanni Battista Tempesti (various paintings)
- Biduino (marble decoration)
- Giuliano Vangi (pulpit and main altar)
- Orazio Riminaldi and Girolamo Riminaldi (fresco in the dome)
- Vincenzo Possenti (chandelier)
Of further interest
- At the end of the 10th century Pisa established March 25 as the beginning of its new year. This date was considered very important because it is both the Feast of the Annunciation (occurring nine months before Christ's birth on December 25) and it falls very close to the spring equinox. To mark the beginning of the Pisan new year a system was devised in the cathedral whereby a beam of light shines through a round window on the south side of the nave and, precisely at noon on March 25, lands on the same spot every year: on top of a shelf affixed to a pylon on the opposite side of the church. This shelf rests on a marble egg, a symbol of birth and new life. In 1750 the first day of the new year was officially changed to January 1, but this event is still celebrated every year accompanied by solemn religious and civic celebrations.[9]
- The lamp at the center of the nave is called isochronism of the pendulumwhile watching its oscillations from the roof of the nave. The original, however, smaller and very different than this one, is found today in the Camposanto.
- On the north side, to the left side of the facade in front of the Camposanto at about eye level, is an original piece of Roman marble (as testified to by its decoration that can still in part be seen), on which are a series of small black marks. Legend says that these marks were left by the devil when he climbed up to the dome attempting to stop its construction, and so they are referred to as the scratches of the devil. (The legend also says that out of spite the number of scratches always changes when counted.)
- Legend has it that the wedding feast of Canawhen he turned water into wine.
- Pope Gregory VIII is buried in the cathedral.
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The ray of light on the Feast of the Annunciation
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Galileo observing the lamp
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The so-called Lamp of Galileo and the cupola of the dome
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The original lamp seen by Galileo
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The amphora said to be from the wedding feast of Cana.
Other images
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Aerial view with the complex of the Piazza dei Miracoli from the south
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Eastern end of the cathedral
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A copy of the bronze Pisa Griffin in its original position on the cathedral roof
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The bronze Pisa Griffin in the cathedral museum
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Door of Saint Rainier by Bonanno Pisano. 19th century photography by Giacomo Brogi
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Tomb altar of Saint Rainier, patron saint of Pisa
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Detail of the pulpit, Hercules, a rare medieval depiction of a nude
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Encaustic painting of the Assumption in the dome
Note
- ISBN 1856694593.
- ISBN 0198269250. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ Valli, Franca Manenti (2016). Pisa: lo spazio e il sacro, with Preface by Gianfranco Ravasi, Edizioni Polistampa, Firenze
- ^ "Cronica de Mailros", quoted by Watterich II, p. 693. Gregorovius IV 2, p. 616.
- ^ Guida rapida d'Italia, Touring Club Italiano, 1994, vol. 3, pag. 186.
- ^ Carli, Enzo (1989). Il Duomo di Pisa: il Battistero, il Campanile, p. 107.
- ^ "La cattedrale si fa bella per la festa dei 950 anni". Il Tirreno. 24 November 2015.
- ^ Amsen, Eva (12 April 2019). "Bacteria Cleaned Paintings In Pisa Cathedral". Forbes.com. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ "25 marzo: Capodanno Pisano". Associazione degli Amici di Pisa. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
See also
- Piazza dei Miracoli
- Archdiocese of Pisa
- Leaning Tower of Pisa
- Baptistery of Pisa
- History of medieval Arabic and Western European domes
External links
- Places of Faith in Tuscany (in both Italian and English)
- Stained glass windows of the cathedral of Pisa (In Italian)