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The Siena Cathedral
was finished in 1263 and was due to be extended in 1339 but the
Black Death interrupted the construction.
The adjoining roman style bell tower has an unusual design with a single lancet window at the bottom and a
sextuple lancet window at the top. The beautiful façade was built from
polychrome marble in a gothic style by
Giovanni Pisano and the upper
section was finished by Giovanni di Cecco.
The interior of the church has a visually striking appearance with large black and white (symbolic colours of Siena)
marble columns and the floor is covered in a magnificent mosaic of
pictorial marble dating back to 1369. The central
nave has an upper cornice decorated with 172 heads of
15th century popes while the various
vaulted ceilings
are painted in a gorgeous blue with golden stars, replacing previous frescoes.
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Siena : Cathedral (1 of 2)
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