Also known as: Giotto's Belltower Built: 1334-1357 Designed by: Giotto, Andrea Pisano, and Francesco Talenti Type: Tower Location: Piazza del Duomo, Florence, Italy
W hile considered the accompaniment to Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore or Cathedral of Saint Maria del Fiore, like many churches in Italy, the belltower is actually a separate free-standing element. In this case, construction of the 85-meter-tall tower began 40 years after work started on the basilica. The Italian tradition of giving decorative elements an architectural purpose can be illustrated in the corners of this tower. Instead of being squared or rounded, they are octagons half-submerged in the tower. This transforms them from a decorative flourish into a structural member, contributing to the stability of the entire tower by helping disperse both the vertical and horizontal load. As was common in the 14th century, construction of tower outlived its designer. Giotto never saw his completed masterpiece. The project was taken over by Andrew Pisano, and his influence can be seen in the center portion of the tower which forsakes Giotto's simple closed form with one featuring niches and windows. Pisano never saw the tower's completion, either so the top portion was finished by Francesco Talenti who went with grand windows soaring into the heavens. By then, a radical departure from the tower's original intent.
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