Pisa Cathedral Primatial Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary |
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Il Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta | |
Pisa Cathedral
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Tuscany_type:landmark 43°43′24″N 10°23′45″E / 43.723281°N 10.395845°ECoordinates: Tuscany_type:landmark 43°43′24″N 10°23′45″E / 43.723281°N 10.395845°E | |
Location | Pisa |
Country | Italy |
Denomination | Catholicism of the Roman rite |
Website | Official website |
History | |
Consecrated | 26 September 1118 |
Architecture | |
Architect(s) | Buscheto and Rainaldo |
Style | Pisan Romanesque |
Groundbreaking | 1063 |
Completed | 1092 |
Administration | |
Archdiocese | Pisa |
Pisa Cathedral (Italian: Cattedrale Metropolitana Primaziale di Santa Maria Assunta; Duomo di Pisa) is a medieval Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, in the Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa, Italy. It is a notable example of Romanesque architecture, in particular the style known as Pisan Romanesque. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Pisa.
Construction on the cathedral began in 1063 (1064 according to the Pisan calendar of the time) by the architect Buscheto, and expenses were paid using the spoils received fighting against the Muslims in Sicily in 1063. It includes various stylistic elements: classical, Lombard-Emilian, Byzantine, and Islamic, drawing upon the international presence of Pisan merchants at that time. In the same year, St. Mark's Basilica began its reconstruction in Venice, evidence of a strong rivalry between the two maritime republics to see which could create the most beautiful and luxurious place of worship.
The church was erected outside Pisa's high middle age-era walls, to show that Pisa that was so powerful, it had no fear of being attacked. The chosen area had already been used in the Lombard era as a necropolis and at the beginning of the 11th century a church had been erected here, but never finished, that was to be named Santa Maria. Buscheto's grand new church, was initially called Santa Maria Maggiore until it was officially named Santa Maria Assunta.
In 1092 the cathedral was declared a primatial church, archbishop Dagobert having been given the title of Primate by Pope Urban II. The cathedral was consecrated in 1118 by Pope Gelasius II, who belonged to the Caetani family which was powerful both in Pisa and in Rome.