Construction of Siena Cathedral

Siena Cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin, is a medieval church in Tuscany renowned for its striking black and white striped marble, and for its richly decorated facade and interior. Work began in the twelfth century and continued for generations, with sculptors such as Nicola and Giovanni Pisano involved in the design, the latter creating figures for the facade. Siena planned to enlarge the cathedral into a much bigger church in the fourteenth century, but the plague of 1348 and financial problems halted the work, and the unfinished walls of the new nave still stand. Inside is a famous inlaid marble floor with scenes from the Bible and history, a pulpit by Nicola Pisano, and the Piccolomini Library, painted by Pinturicchio.

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