The construction of the Dome began on 7 August 1420.įree cancellation up to 24 hours in advance The Brunelleschi’s project Now Brunelleschi, whose design for the cupola had been accepted outright, was forced to work side by side with his gallingly successful rival. The two men had been rivals since 1401, when they had vied for another illustrious commission, the new bronze doors for the Florentine Baptistery. Leading architects of the time flocked to Florence to present their ideas.Īfter many uncertainty the Opera del Duomo agreed to make Filippo Brunelleschi the superintendent of the cupola project and appointed Lorenzo Ghiberti, Brunelleschi’s fellow goldsmith, as a co-superintendent. In 1418 the Opera del Duomo announced a public competition for the construction of the dome with a handsome prize of 200 gold florins-and a shot at eternal fame-for the winner. When was the dome of the Florence cathedral built? Could a dome weighing tens of thousands of tons stay up without them? Was there enough timber in Tuscany for the scaffolding and templates that would be needed to shape the dome’s masonry? And could a dome be built at all on the octagonal floor plan dictated by the existing walls-eight pie-shaped wedges-without collapsing inward as the masonry arched toward the apex? No one knew. Yet these were the only architectural solutions known to work in such a vast structure. Their building plans eschewed the flying buttresses and pointed arches of the traditional Gothic style then favored by rival northern cities like Milan, Florence’s arch enemy. Other questions plagued the cathedral overseers. But there was one problem: no one knew how to erect a dome that would be nearly 150 feet wide and that would begin 180 feet above the ground, atop the existing walls. Proud of their city, the Florentines began to build a glorious cathedral, reserving enough space in its design for a huge dome. Imagine the thriving city of Florence in the year 1296. 5 How Brunelleschi built the dome (video).
2 When was the dome of the Florence cathedral built?.
0 kommentar(er)
