Shadows of people in foreground indicate long exposure time for the photograph. The Gothic interior is vast and gives an empty impression. The relative bareness of the church corresponds with the austerity of religious life, as preached by Girolamo Savonarola.

Florence Cathedral (Duomo), whose great dome dominates the city, the tall campanile at its south-west corner, which balances the dome, and the Baptistery to the west--all set in the Piazza del Duomo in the centre of the city--form a remarkable group of polychrome marble buildings that demonstrates the traditions of Florentine art from the Romanesque period to the Renaissance. The immense programme of work on the cathedral in the 14th century and first half of the 15th was coordinated by the Opera del Duomo (Cathedral Works), which initiated the most prestigious artistic projects of the period. The dome remains the largest brick dome ever constructed.