Duomo Santa Maria Assunta - Cathedral of Siena - Tuscany

Construction of this church began in 1229 under the direction of Nicola Pisano. The work lasted 170 years .

In the end, the cathedral was a lot smaller than originally planned . But it is still quite an impressive building. The dome of the Duomo was finished in 1264. Years later, in 1317, the choir was expanded.

The people of Siena wanted the Duomo to be the largest Gothic building in Italy and preferably even in the world. Construction problems and the plague threw a spanner in the works. Many builders lost their lives. In the years that followed, much more was built on the cathedral, but it never became what the people originally had in mind.

The cathedral has a chain-link pattern of black and white marble on the outside. This is a symbolic reference to the horses of the city's founders: Senius and Aschius, the sons of Remus, who was the founder of Rome.

The facade of the cathedral is also made of marble. The pink marble comes from Siena itself, the white from Carrara and the dark green from Prato. You can climb the 77 meter high bell tower that is located on the side of the church. There is also the Facciatone , this unfinished wall was the beginning of the expansion of the cathedral that never came because of the plague.

The wall is still standing and can now be climbed and, like the clock tower, gives you a magnificent view of the city. You do have to climb quite a few narrow steps, but then you have something! If you have a fear of heights, you better leave it for what it is.

Once inside the church, the most impressive thing is the floor . This is made entirely of marble and shows no less than 56 different scenes . On the floor you can also see a crescent moon on each tile, which is the symbol of the Piccolomini family. Unfortunately, the largest part of the floor is covered almost the entire year. This is to protect the floor, which is unfortunately necessary with the large number of tourists that walk over the floor every day.

Yet there is still plenty of beauty to be seen of this floor when a part is covered. A few weeks a year you can admire the floor in its entirety, usually between August and October.

The ceiling and the black and white striped columns are also beautiful. The richly decorated dome is, in my opinion, the highlight of the cathedral. So definitely look up here!

So be sure to stop by here. You can also take a look at the crypt and the baptismal chapel .

On the side of the cathedral is the Libreria Piccolomini . This section was added to the cathedral to house the library of Pope Pius II. On the walls are beautiful frescoes by Pinturicchio.

Below the cathedral is the baptistery . This baptistery, together with the baptisteries of Florence and Pisa, is one of the most beautiful in Tuscany and perhaps even in Italy. Inside the baptistery are several statues by Donatello and other famous Renaissance artists.

To visit the Cathedral of Siena and its buildings you need to buy an entrance ticket at the ticket office. The price is quite high for a church visit but it is not just any church.

Willem Vandenameele