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Orvieto Cathedral: View of nave looking towards altar

Date

Circa 1910

Creator

G. Massiot & cie
Part of: Architectural Lantern Slides of Italy
Architecture Library, Hesburgh Libraries

The interior, like the exterior, is decorated with alternative rows of travertine and basalt but only to a height of about 1.5 m. The holy water stoup by Federighi is visible on the right.

A document of 1290 states that the new building should be modelled on S Maria Maggiore in Rome. This apparently influenced the early rectangular plan as well as, for example, the original semicircular apse, columnar piers in the nave and the attached half columns used on the exterior flanks. It may also have influenced the rather unusual decision to decorate the facade with mosaics, although the layout and choice of subject-matter differ greatly from those of S Maria Maggiore. The building materials of the cathedral best reflect the local traditions, with foundations and main skeleton of tufa, alternating rows of travertine and basalt delineating the distinctive exterior, and more costly stones (e.g. red marble from Sosselvole and white from Carrara) reserved for the façade. Work on the façade resumed in 1337, and the level of the rose window had been reached by 1348; in 1359 Andrea di Cione Orcagna supervised work on this part of the facade. The facade mosaics, put on from the second half of the 14th century, rapidly deteriorated and were extensively restored from the 17th century.

Images

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Metadata

Creator
G. Massiot & cie
Date
Circa 1910
Publisher
Architecture Library, Hesburgh Libraries
Material Type
photographs
Conditions Governing Access
To view the physical lantern slide, please contact the Architecture Library to arrange an appointment
Related Location
Orvieto Cathedral (Orvieto, Umbria, Italy): Piazza del Duomo

Metadata

Campus Location
Architecture Library, Hesburgh Libraries
Link to Finding Aid
https://curate.nd.edu/show/bz60cv46c7d
This digital collection may not include all items or all of the information available about the source collection. See the finding aid for more information.

Metadata

Contact Us

Our collection information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. If you have spotted an error, please contact Architecture Library, Hesburgh Libraries at asklib@nd.edu.


Also from Architectural Lantern Slides of Italy

Basilica di Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Rome: Approach to the monastery with Romanesque bell tower

Basilica di Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Rome: Approach to the monastery with Romanesque bell tower

San Pietro in Vincoli: Overall view of facade

San Pietro in Vincoli: Overall view of facade

San Lorenzo fuori le Mura: View across the nave, depicting the Cosmatesque ambone

San Lorenzo fuori le Mura: View across the nave, depicting the Cosmatesque ambone

Colosseum: Distant context view

Colosseum: Distant context view

Catacomb of Saint Calixtus: 19th century illustration of the catacomb chambers

Catacomb of Saint Calixtus: 19th century illustration of the catacomb chambers

San Cataldo: Exterior showing blind arches, bulge domes and Arab-style merlons

San Cataldo: Exterior showing blind arches, bulge domes and Arab-style merlons

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