Siena - Duomo di Siena

The rain had ceased - a little bit...

The construction of the cathedral started in 1196, about 150 years later, the church may have been completed, but a massive addition of the cathedral was planned in 1339. It would have more than doubled the size of the structure and so it would have been larger than (old) Saint Peter in Rome. This cathedral was never completed.

The west facade was begun in 1285, Giovanni Pisano as the architect. He completed the lower level by 1297, but left Siena after a quarrel with the Opera del Duomo. The work continued until 1317, but then came to an halt. Inspired by the facade of Orvieto Cathedral the work started again in 1376.

The statues seen here, many of them by Giovanni Pisano, are replicas, the originals are displayed in the Museo dell'Opera.