History of Brunelleschi's
Dome
In 1419 there was
a competition to design a new dome to the cathedral. The
two most important competitors were Lorenzo Ghiberti
(famous for his work in "Gates of Paradise" in the
baptistry) and Filippo Brunelleschi.
An
anonymous architect of the era even suggests that the
cathedral was filled with soil before lifting the dome in
order to build the dome shaped above
ground.
The idea of
Brunelleschi to crown the dome with a large flashlight
was put in doubt, resulting in another competition for
the award. His competitors were Cachieri and Antonio
Lorenzo Ghiberti, but Brunelleschi was the
winner.
His design was
for an octagonal lantern with eight flying buttresses and
eight arched windows (now on display in the Museum of the
Opera del Duomo). The construction of the torch began a
few months before his death in 1446. Its construction was
slowed for 25 years without progress, due to the
interventions made by several architects. His friend
Michelozzo finally completed the construction in 1461. The
conical roof, was topped by Verrocchio in 1469, with a
layer of copper and a cross containing relics. It used a
crane specially designed by Leonardo da Vinci. The later
structure has a total height of 114.50 meters between the
dome and the lantern. The cover of copper was hit by
lightning on July 17 of 1600 and fell. Another one
replaced it even bigger, two years later. The dome of
Florence did not suffer any major restorations since then,
and it is one of the monuments that since its
construction, has been regarded as
perfect.
The
decoration of the drum in the gallery, made by Baccio
d'Agnolo was never finished. Verrocchio completed the
construction of the cathedral, started in 1296 with the
design of Arnolfo di Cambio, in 1469.
A huge
statue of Brunelleschi is now erected outside the Palazzo
dei Canonici in the Piazza del Duomo, looking
thoughtfully to his work, the dome that always dominated
the landscape of Florence, the forerunner of many
architectural
achievements.
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