Siena Cathedral, Italy

Siena Cathedral (Duomo) is a medieval church in Siena, Italy. It is dedicated from its earliest days as a Roman Catholic Marian church and now dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta (Holy Mary, Our Lady of the Assumption).

 

The Cathedral is one of the great examples of Italian Romanesque-Gothic architecture. It is unusual for a cathedral in that its axis runs north-south. This is because it was originally intended to be the largest cathedral in the world, with a north-south transept and an east-west nave. After the completion of the transept and the building of the east wall (which still exists and may be climbed by the public via an internal staircase) the money ran out and the rest of the cathedral was abandoned.

Siena Cathedral was originally designed and completed between 1215 and 1263 on the site of an earlier structure. It has the form of a Latin cross with a slightly projecting transept, a dome and a bell tower.

The façade of Siena Cathedral is one of the most fascinating in all of Italy.  Each of the cardinal points (west, east, north, and south) has their own distinct work; by far the most impressive of these is the west façade. Acting as the main entryway to the Duomo proper, it boasts three portals; the central one is capped by a bronze-work sun.

This postcard was sent by Joseph and Kate during their travel and received on 27 June 2014.