The Striped Duomo of Siena

Duomo di Siena

It was dusk when I strolled out to take my first look at Siena, and stumbled upon the piazza of the Duomo, the Cathedral. The ticket office was still open, though there was only 45 minutes to closing time. It proved to be an excellent time to visit – the long queue control barriers suggested that at peak visiting times there would be large crowds, but at this hour everyone seemed to have chosen an aperitivo over the church. I was almost alone.

Siena’s Duomo dates from the 13th century, and was built on the site of an even earlier structure. It’s known for its ornate facade, and its black-and-white marble stripes – black and white are the symbolic colours of Siena and are on its civic coat of arms. The striped bell-tower rises impressively heaven-wards. The facade is a history book in itself. Most of the lavish decoration is by Giovanni Pisano (a 14th century inscription on the left of the facade marks his grave). The three large mosaics were made in Venice in the nineteenth century. The large central door, known as the Porta della Riconoscenza, was commissioned in 1946 near the end of the German occupation of Siena.

Inside are many artistic treasures, but perhaps the most unusual features are the many mosaic floor pictures. It’s one of the most ornate floors in Italy (which is saying something) and covers the entire floor of the Duomo. Guide books tell me that many of the mosaics are covered for most of the year, but when I visited only a few had protective covers over them. The subjects of the mosaics range from ‘The She-Wolf of Siena’ to the ‘Four Virtues’ to a rather bloodthirsty ‘Massacre of the Innocents’. Many illustrate Old Testament stories – ‘David & Goliath’ or ‘Moses Striking Water from the Rock.’ All the Sibyls are represented. The works date from about 1413 until 1547. It’s said that about 40 artists contributed. According to Wiki:

“The earliest scenes were made by a graffito technique: drilling tiny holes and scratching lines in the marble and filling these with bitumen or mineral pitch. In a later stage black, white, green, red and blue marble intarsia were used. This technique of marble inlay also evolved during the years, finally resulting in a vigorous contrast of light and dark, giving it an almost modern, impressionistic composition.”

The earliest work in the Duomo is the wildly ornate pulpit, its earliest parts dating from 1265-68. It’s in a gothic style, carved with scenes representing the salvation and the last judgement. Various animals parade around its base. 

Madonna of Humility

Amongst the Duomo’s art treasures are works by Donatello, Bellini and a young Michaelangelo (in the Chigi Chapel). There was a stained glass window by Cimabue, but it’s been moved to the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo (in fact, that’s where you’ll also find most of the statuary from the exterior. Those on the church facade today are copies). A 14th century Madonna feeding the Christ Child is particularly arresting – Madonna dell’Umilita (Madonna of Humility) by Paolo di Giovanni Fei (c. 1385); as is Bellini’ later, marvellous statue of ‘Mary Magdalene’. The Chapel of St John the Baptist houses Donatello’s bronze. The Chapel was begun in 1482 to house the relic of the right arm of St. John the Baptist donated in 1464 by Pope Pius II, which he received from the Despot of Morea in return for military aid against the Ottoman Turks. The relic is housed in a silver reliquary in the Chapel, and all artwork in the chapel (much by Pinturicchio) is related to St. John the Baptist. This site has many excellent photographs of the interior of the Cathedral and its artworks.

Siena produced a number of popes, and most are commemorated in some way in the Duomo of their home town. Perhaps the most interesting of them was Pope Pius II, who was born near Siena in a town called, then, Corsignano. He refurbished the whole town and renamed it Pienza, after himself. He was born Enea (Aeneas) Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini, and is famous for being the only pope to write his own autobiography – and the only pope to have written erotica (though that was before he was elected pope). He also gave his family name to the wonderful Piccolomini Library commissioned by his nephew….but more on that later….

Donatello’s ‘John the Baptist’