Façade of the Cathedral
by MAITANI, Lorenzo, Stone, bronze sculpture, mosaics
Early documents state that the cathedral should be modeled on the Early Christian Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, which may explain the mosaics that decorate the upper part of the fa�ade. The fa�ade design and much of the sculpture is attributed to Lorenzo Maitani as head of what must have been a large workshop between 1310 and 1330.
The foundation stone of the cathedral was laid in 1290 but the fa�ade design as we see it today dates from after Maitani became capomaestro in 1309; the lower part was complete by 1330 but some of the upper areas were not completed until the mid-fifteenth century. The mosaics had been restored many times.