by Alberto Cornice
The architecture and events
Dedicated to Assunta, it took the form in the XIII and XIV centuries, while the roman and gothic periods were interwoven: this last clarity in the facade is in part due to Giovanni Pisano. The black and white marble of an Islamic mould, filtered through Pisa, covers both the exterior and the bell tower interior. Here, the decision to alternate the sections horizontally serves to accentuate the view towards the altar, the religious centre and the imperious “visual directional path” originated through its chromatic articulation. Limited interventions between the XV and XVII centuries, including the Berninian Capello del Voto, were subordinated to the medieval aspect.
To the side rises the archaeological bulk of the XIII century Duomo Nuovo that was interrupted as if it were a punishment for the sin of pride.
The works of art
The greatest Italian sculptors are present: Nicola and Giovanni Pisani, Arnolfo di Cambio, Donnatello, Jacopo della Quercia, Michelangelo and Bernini. The paintings both at the altar and the murals include works by Sienan artists but also outsiders such as Pintoricchio, Mattia Preti, Carlo Maratti.
An element of absolute singularity is the marquetry of the floor, uninterrupted from 1200 to 1800. The iconographic programme is not limited to biblical and religious themes but also covers political, pagan and esoteric subjects, illustrated in all of the available space appearing as an exceptional marble carpet.
Religious and political symbols. The cult of the Virgin
In addition to its devotional role and status as the seat of bishops, the Duomo expresses lay and civic values with marked force: from the trophies from the victory at Montaperti (1260) to the uninterrupted manifestations for the people’s Palio.
The religiosity of Siena’s population has always privileged the feminine: from the mythical Gea, Diana and Minerva to the ‘modern’ Santa Caterina. The central cult of the Virgin Mary is expressed also in the medieval seal “Sena Vetus Civitas Virginis”, Siena ancient city of the Virgin that is proclaimed queen of the state. Often from 1260 to 1944 in moments of great tension, the city invoked the Madonna del Voto in the chapel of the Duomo: an ancient and quasi-totemic icon. In reverence for this icon even today the people of Siena enter the Duomo with a spontaneous sacred air without self consciousness.
