Brunelleschi's dome, Renaissance dome at Florence Cathedral, Italy
The octagonal dome spans 45.5 meters in diameter and rises 114.5 meters above Florence, featuring a double-shell structure with herringbone brickwork patterns.
Filippo Brunelleschi constructed this architectural masterpiece between 1420 and 1436, making it the first dome built without wooden scaffolding in Western Europe.
The interior walls display extensive frescoes of The Last Judgment, painted by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari between 1572 and 1579.
Visitors can climb 463 steps between the two shells to reach the lantern, where they experience panoramic views across Florence and the Arno Valley.
The dome contains an astronomical instrument installed by Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli in 1475, allowing sunlight through a bronze plate for celestial observations.
Location: Florence
Inception: 1420
Architects: Filippo Brunelleschi
Creator: Filippo Brunelleschi
Made from material: marble, brick
Part of: Florence Cathedral
Opening Hours: Monday-Friday 08:15-19:30; Saturday 08:15-17:15; Sunday,Holidays 12:45-17:15
Phone: +390552302885
Email: opera@operaduomo.firenze.it
GPS coordinates: 43.77270,11.25582
Latest update: October 20, 2025 09:20
This collection brings together notable domes and cupolas from all continents, signs of diverse architectural traditions extending from the Vatican to Australia, Russia to the United Arab Emirates. From the famous dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome to the colorful domes of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in Saint Petersburg, the Renaissance dome of Florence Cathedral, to the cast-iron dome of the US Capitol in Washington, each structure tells a particular story and reflects the ambitions of its era. These buildings span several centuries of architectural innovation and serve various functions: religious structures like the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque or the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Côte d'Ivoire, civil buildings such as Oxford's Radcliffe Camera or the Australian Exhibition Palace, and even thermal spas like Budapest’s Széchenyi Baths. Each dome illustrates construction techniques and aesthetic decisions specific to its culture, offering insight into skills that enabled the creation of these monumental coverings.
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