Florence Cathedral

Florence Cathedral
Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower
  • Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore
    Duomo di Firenze (Italian)
  • Cathedralis Sanctae Mariae Floris (Latin)
Florence Cathedral
Location in Florence, Italy, Europe.
43°46′23″N 11°15′25″E / 43.77306°N 11.25694°E / 43.77306; 11.25694
LocationFlorence, Tuscany
CountryItaly
DenominationCatholic Church
TraditionLatin Church
WebsiteDuomo Firenze
History
StatusCathedral, minor basilica
Consecrated1436
Architecture
Architect(s)
Architectural typeBasilica
StyleRomanesque, Gothic,
Renaissance
Groundbreaking9 September 1296
Completed1436 (except 19th century façade)
Specifications
Length153 m (502 ft)
Width90 m (300 ft)
Nave width38 m (125 ft)
Height114.5 m (376 ft)
Floor area8,300 m2 (89,000 sq ft)
MaterialsBrick, marble
Administration
ArchdioceseArchdiocese of Florence
Clergy
ArchbishopGherardo Gambelli
TypeCultural
Criteriai, ii, iii, iv, vi
Designated1982 (6th session)
Part ofHistoric Centre of Florence
Reference no.174
RegionEurope and North America

Florence Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Firenze), formally the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower (Italian: Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore [katteˈdraːle di ˈsanta maˈriːa del ˈfjoːre]), is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Florence in Florence, Italy. Commenced in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed by 1436 with a dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi, the basilica's exterior is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink, alternated by white, and features an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival western façade by Emilio De Fabris.

The cathedral complex, in Piazza del Duomo, includes the Florence Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile. These three buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic centre of Florence and are a major tourist attraction of Tuscany. The basilica is one of world's largest churches and its dome is still the largest masonry dome ever constructed. The cathedral is the mother church and seat of the Archdiocese of Florence, whose archbishop is Gherardo Gambelli.