Chapter 19

Dome of Florence: The separate, central-plan building in front of the facade is the Baptistery. Adjacent to the facade is a tall tower designed by Giotto in 1334.

The defining civic project of the early years of the fifteenth century was the completion of Florence Cathedral with a magnificent dome over a high alter. The construction of the cathedral had begun in the late thirteenth century and had continued intermittently during the fourteenth century. As early as 1367, builders had envisioned a very tall dome to span the huge interior space of the crossing, but they lacked the engineering know-how to construct it. When interest in completing the cathedral revived, around 1407, the technical solution was proposed by a young sculptor-turned-architect, Filippo Brunelleschi.