Museum of the Works of the Cathedral, Florence

The Latest Reincarnation of the Flower of Florence

overview:

The Romans called Florence Florentia. Since the 11th century the city's crest has been the giglio or lily (fleur-de-lis but in fact a stylised iris). Struck in Florence in 1252, the first commercially important gold coin in Europe was called the fiorino -florin- for this reason, and bore the fiordaliso on its obverse side, with Saint John the Baptist, Florence's patron saint, on the reverse. Florence's imposing and iconic Cathedral (or as it is called here, Duomo), is dedicated to Saint Mary of the Flower while the Baptistery is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. All this is just a roundabout way of underlining the symbolic potency of the flower to Florence's story.

Sculptures in the brand-new light-filled atrium

Santa Maria del Fiore was commissioned in 1294 by the Commune of Florence to replace Santa Maria Reparata (a church which, in my view, occupied the available space far more appropriately than its successor). Initially the 'Opera' referred to the institution which financed and oversaw the construction of the Duomo; over time the Opera evolved to oversee the Cathedral's continual conservation and decoration and incorporate the Baptistery (completed in 1128), Giotto's Belltower (begun in 1334) and the Museum. 

 

the functional side of the atrium

Sala del Paradiso, Hall of Paradise, containing works by Arnolfo di Cambio, Ghiberti, Donatello beautifully displayed in their reconstructed niches

lit by daylight like the exterior of the Cathedral, the Sala del Paradiso with Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise gleaming to the left

If one considers the cupola as the final act, the Cathedral took 140 years to complete, although work inevitably continued beyond 1436 with the facade, after multiple vicissitudes, being finalized only in 1883. An excellent timeline of the various stages of the construction and decoration of the Duomo is available here.

Galleria del Campanile, Gallery of the Belltower with the 54 reliefs dedicated to divine prophecy (the upper diamond shapes) and human creativity (the hexagons) and sculptures

Contributors to the Opera include the famed architects, sculptors and artists of Florence's creative centuries. The most renowned: Arnolfo di Cambio, Giotto, Andrea Pisano, Francesco Talenti, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Donatello, Luca della Robbia, Paolo Uccello, Andrea del Castagno, Verrocchio, Michelangelo, Giorgio Vasari and of course Filippo Brunelleschi.

magnificent wall of engraved pietra serena in the Corridoio dell'Opera, Corridor of the Works, commemorating the artists who collaborated over the centuries on this mammoth work

Over the centuries alterations and additions have kept the Opera busy; by the late 17th century its institutional home behind the Cathedral apse began to house manuscripts and books, the marble choir lofts removed for a royal wedding, statues eroded by weather and replaced by copies, the precious reliquaries, marble panels, important sculptures, Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise, removed after the flood 50 years ago. All these precious works of art are today preserved in the Opera museum. 

detail from Ghiberti's famous gilded bronze doors (1425-1452), according to Vasari praised as the Gates of Paradise by Michelangelo; note perspective

detail of reverse of doors in bronze

Consequently the Museum of the Works of the Cathedral in Florence is much more than a museum.  Yet until this year it had been a dusty, rather sad addendum to the Duomo. I recall that Michelangelo's Pietà stood forlornly on a staircase beside other sculptures; now it has a room to itself, the Tribuna di Michelangelo, with a bench for the adoring. Beautifully restored, enlarged and modernised, today the Museo dell'Opera is a magnificent and fitting tribute to the hundreds of artists, workers and creative geniuses who dedicated some or much of their lives to its completion.

view of Sala delle Cantorie, Hall of the Choir stalls with its della Robbia and Donatello

the Galleria della Cupola illustrates how the cupola was designed, executed and decorated; the tree trunks represent the beams used in its construction, brought from the Casentine forests; to the side, a display of pulleys, wagons, tools and other building equipment  

wooden models of the cupola, including Brunelleschi's original designs and a modern representation of the lantern with its ball and cross, works of art in themselves. On the right are some of the models submitted in the competition to clad the base of the cupola's drum; it remains largely unclad to this day as no one approved of the solutions

details:

Arnolfo di Cambio: end of 13th century. Note the angel, rearing to go

Arnolfo's flock of sheep and herd of oxen. These works are situated in the Sala del Paradiso

fragment possibly from Santa Reparata, found during renovations

Giovanni del Biondo, Saint Catherine of Alexandria with scenes from her life and portraits of donors, late 14th/early 15th century, in the Cappella delle Reliquie, Chapel of the Relics

four of the reliefs depicting human creativity: Jabal: the beginning of pastoralism; Noah: the beginning of wine making; Jonitus: the beginning of astronomy: Andrea Pisano 1334-48; Orpheus: music, Luca della Robbia, 1437-39

lion heads from the cornice of the drum of the cupola, Baccio d'Agnolo, 1513-1515

Sala dei Paramenti, Hall of the Vestments: gold-embroidered silk cloth

Mitre, crozier and papal cross for Leo X (second son of Lorenzo il Magnifico), 1515, Florentine craftspeople

reliefs illustrating Psalm 150 with young singers and dancers, from the Cantoria or choir stalls, Luca della Robbia, 1432-38

Monte di Giovanni del Fora: initial C, Assumption of the Virgin: Choral gradual from Santa Maria del Fiore. The volumes on display are accompanied by recordings of the chants, a satisfying final touch before one leaves the museum

The Museum of the Works of the Cathedral in Florence is much more than the sum of its parts, and there is far more to it than testified by this text and these photographs. For instance I have not mentioned Donatello's heart-rending Mary Magdalene since I had no photograph to do it justice. Also, in nearby Via dello Studio is the Duomo's restoration workshop. This workshop, originally based where the museum is today, is arguably the material heir of the original Opera. Where once sculptures were created they are now restored and maintained.

Daedalus: the mechanical arts, Andrea Pisano 1348-50: a homage to those who dare; a good metaphor for the Opera

Founded in 1296, the Opera, apart from satisfying piety like all such monuments, was intended to reflect and project the confidence and power that Florence had acquired as one of Europe's most flourishing economies. It is interesting that 'flourish' and 'Florentia' have so much in common: this linguistic echo must have penetrated the Florentine soul a long time ago. Although the echo is now faint, and the soul perhaps fading, the superbly rejuvenated Museum of the Works of the Cathedral goes a long way towards reviving the spirit of Florentia's former glory.

Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore di Firenze

Via della Canonica, 1

50122 Firenze

Open 9 to 19 each day

On Monday, Friday and Saturday: 9 to 21 November to April,  

9 to 22  May to October

It is closed the first Tuesday of each month, December 25, January 1 and Easter Sunday



As with the Pitti Palace one ticket (15 euros) allows access to the Duomo, the Baptistery, Giotto's Belltower and the Museum; annoyingly it is not possible to acquire a ticket for only one of these sites. The ticket is valid for 48 hours.

Use the free map to navigate the museum as the itinerary is a little complex.

The museum includes the Brunelleschi terrace with a novel view of the Duomo, a smart if small cafeteria, a bookshop and a teaching space.

Michelangelo's self-potrait as Nicodemus in his Pietà, now accorded its rightful prominence in the magnificent new Museo dell'Opera del Duomo