The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiori of Florence, Italy

Seen from the heights of Piazzale Michelangelo (a terrace in Florence, Italy), a side view of Santa Maria del Fiori reveals both the contrast between the width of Brunelleschi’s dome and the narrowness of Giotto’s bell tower; their similar heights provide “bookends” at the cathedral's front and rear. Kirill Neiezhmakov/Shutterstock

On Aug. 19, 1418, Florence, Italy’s wealthy Arte della Lana trade guild announced a design competition for choosing an architect to build the dome to complete the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiori, also known as the Duomo. Their choice was Filippo Brunelleschi. His dome, completed in 1436, was the first major work of Renaissance architecture.

By the time of Brunelleschi’s selection, the cathedral had been under construction for over 120 years. Its core was designed by leading 13th-century architect Arnolfo di Cambio. In the 1330s, early Renaissance artist Giotto di Bondoni built a small square bell tower near the church, almost as tall as the later dome.  The 1360s saw plans for extensive additions to make the cathedral one of the world’s largest churches, with a larger dome than any previously built in Europe.

The problem was how to make the dome structurally sound. Pillars had to be so large that they'd block the view from the nave to the sanctuary. Buttresses would have worked, but were rejected as stylistically northern European by Florentines committed to Italian aesthetic purism. Master mason Neri di Fioravanti believed the dome’s weight could be directed to the walls, but had only rudimentary ideas about how to do so.

Brunelleschi’s task was to work out the details of Fioravanti’s concept. Fortunately, Brunelleschi was the first man in centuries to thoroughly study ancient Roman architecture. The Pantheon’s dome provided a foundation for his solution to the engineering problem. His broader aesthetic education allowed him to design the dome in the authentically classicist style that launched Renaissance architecture. Renovations in the 19th century returned to the Italian Gothic style of Arnolfo di Cambio and Giotto.

Brunelleschi’s cupola provides a final aesthetic flourish at the top of the dome and pulls together the dome’s eight ribs. The white ribs not only provide a pleasing contrast with the red brick, but they also give the octagonal dome a circular appearance. These ribs are key to the dome's combination of structural soundness and stylistic excellence. Fczarnowski/CC BY-SA 4.0

Augusto Passaglia’s 19th-century façade is designed in the same Italian Gothic style that Santa Maria del Fiori was originally built. The coloration, strict symmetry, and minimal buttressing joins the façade with the building's classical elements in a successful blending of styles. Public Domain

The central entrance of Santa Maria del Fiori perfectly demonstrates Augusto Passaglia’s skill as a sculptor. While numerous miniature sculptures with intricate detailing cover the bronze doors and parts of the marble façade, full-size statues flank both sides of the entrance. Public Domain

The interior of Santa Maria del Fiori conforms to Italian Gothic standards. A long, narrow nave leads from the main entrance to the sanctuary, framed by Gothic pillars and stained glassed windows. Curving pointed arches point upward toward the vaulted ceiling. MenkinAlRire/CC BY-SA 3.0

Santa Maria del Fiori’s massive clock on the interior wall above the entrance was decorated by artist Paolo Uccello; Florentine clockmaker Angelo di Niccolò built the timepiece. In the four corners are figures painted in Uccello’s usual late Gothic style. Closer inspection will show that it's a 24-hour clock rather than the more common 12-hour form. Public Domain

The interior of the walls just below the dome are a fresco by Giorgio Vasari. Rather than give an impression of roundness, these walls appear perfectly octagonal, as does the lower part of the interior of the dome itself. As the eye moves up, the dome appears to slowly transition into a circle until it reaches another clear octagon at the very top. (Livioandronico2013/CC BY-SA 4.0)

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