Sunday, April 17, 2011

The Duomo Altar and Baptistry

Monday, March 21, 2011 (Part 5)

The third feature of the Siena Duomo that I found most notable was the pulpit -- which is a sculptural work of art. The pulpit is held aloft by seven marble pillars, each resting on the figure of a lion. The sides of the pulpit consistof six panels with intricately carved scenes including several depicting the Adoration of the Magi, the Flight into Egypt, and the Last Judgment.

Also within the Cathedral complex, we visited the Baptistry, which is decorated on all the walls and ceiling with beautiful frescos. And because it was too
late in the day to gain entry to either the city hall or tower, we spent some time in the Duomo Museum. It is a wonderful Museum,
and I ended up being rather happy that we were unable to see the Palazzo Publico today, which is what we had planned. In the Museum, we were enchanted by our being able to get an up close view of some of the original stained glass, statues and paintings that originally adorned the exterior of the Cathedral.

Another feature offered by the Museum was a 120 step climb to a rooftop area from which we were able to get a panoramic view of Siena and the surrounding countryside. Dad made one-half of the climb with us, and
then Katherine and I climbed the rest of the way. It was a very windy day, but we enjoyed the sights and took lots of pictures

No comments:

Post a Comment