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PISA. The area was first settled by the Liguri
and was then inhabited by the Etruscans. The
development as a city occurred the Roman era and
the present layout of the most ancient part of
the city centre is the clearest proof of their
presence. At that time, Pisa was a coastal town
and an important Roman port.
The later history of Pisa is marked by an
impressive series of successes: the early fights
against the Saracens established Pisa's dominant
position in the Mediterranean; the active
participation in the Crusades led to a great
expansion of its maritime trade and opened Pisa
to the culture of the Moslem world; the
foundation of a powerful Republic and of one of
the oldest European Universities During the 14th
century, Pisa continued to suffer battles and
revolts.
The date that all Pisans remember is the October
9th 1406, when the hated Florentine army entered
the city and Pisa was placed under the rule of
Florence where it remained until the creation of
the Italian state in 1861.
In the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries Pisa
continued to grow. Its University is one of the
most prestigious in Italy and Europe and it is
where the famous scientist Galileo Galilei was a
student and later a professor.
The city was badly damaged by bombing during
World War II, but it is now being totally
restored and brought back to its ancient
splendor.
The Campo dei Miracoli ("Field of Miracles") is
a wide, walled area at the heart of the city and
is recognized as one of the main centers for
medieval art in the world. Partly paved and
partly grassed, it is dominated by four great
religious edifices: the Duomo, the Leaning Tower
(the cathedral's campanile), the Baptistery and
the Camposanto. It is otherwise known as Piazza
dei Miracoli or 'Square of Miracles'. In 1987 the
entire square was declared a UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
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The Baptistery, dedicated to St. John the
Baptist, stands opposite the west end of the
Duomo. The construction of the round Romanesque
building was begun in the mid 12th century. It
was built in Romanesque style by an architect
known as Deotisalvi ("God Save You").
It was not, however, finished until the 14th
century, when the loggia, the top storey and the
dome were added in Gothic style by Nicola Pisano
and Giovanni Pisano. It is the largest baptistery
in Italy. Its circumference measures 107.25
metres.
Taking into account the statue of St. John the
Baptist (attributed to Turino di Sano) on top of
the dome, it is even a few centimetres higher
than the Leaning Tower. The immensity of the
interior is overwhelming, but it is surprisingly
plain and lacks decoration.
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The heart of the Campo dei Miracoli is the Duomo,
the medieval cathedral, dedicated to St. Mary. It
is a five-naved basilica with a three-naved
transept.
It was begun in 1064 by the architect Buscheto,
the originator of the distinctive Pisan
Romanesque style in architecture. The mosaics of
the interior show a strong Byzantine influence,
while the pointed arches point to Muslim
influences.
The façade, of grey marble and white
stone set with discs of coloured marble, was
built by a master Rainaldo. The massive bronze
main doors were made in the workshops of
Giambologna, but visitors actually enter through
the Portale di San Ranieri (St. Ranieri's Gate)
opposite the Leaning Tower. Made in around 1180
by Bonanno Pisano, this doorway was actually
moved from its original place opposite the
Baptistery when Giambologna's doors were
erected.
The cupola, at the intersection of the nave and
the transept, was decorated by Riminaldi showing
the ascension of the Blessed Virgin. Galileo is
believed to have formulated his theory about the
movement of a pendulum by watching the swinging
of a huge incense lamp (not the present one)
hanging from the ceiling of the nave. The
impressive granite Corinthian columns between the
nave and the aisle came originally from the
mosque of Palermo, captured by the Pisans in
1063. The elaborately carved pulpit (1302-1310),
which also survived the fire, was the masterpiece
of Giovanni Pisano. It was packed away during the
redecoration and was not rediscovered and
re-erected until 1926. It shows nine scenes from
the New Testament, carved in white marble with a
chiaroscuro effect. It contains a bold,
naturalistic depiction of a naked Hercules The
church also contains the mummified body of St
Ranieri, Pisa's patron saint, and the tomb of the
Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII, carved by Tino da
Camaino in 1315. The building, as several in
Pisa, is also slightly tilting since the
construction.;(right)
The interior is faced with black and white marble
and has a gilded ceiling and a frescoed dome. It
was largely redecorated after a fire in 1595,
which destroyed most of the medieval art works.
The impressive mosaic (left and below)
in the apse, of Christ in Majesty, flanked by the
Blessed Virgin and St. John the Evangelist, which
was completed by Cimabue in 1302, survived the
fire however. It evokes the mosaics in the church
of Monreale, Sicily.
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The coffer ceiling of the nave was replaced after
the fire of 1595. The present gold-decorated
ceiling carries the coat of arms of the
Medici.
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The visit to Pisa continues on the next
page.
Please click on the 'Next' button (lower
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