Pisa Cathedral Interior: What’s Inside the Cathedral of Pisa?

Hello. Are you planning to visit the Pisa Cathedral and want to get more information about what to see inside it? You have come to the right place.

In this post we will discover together what to visit inside the Cathedral of Pisa: I will tell you about the maestic frescoes inside the Duomo, its façade and the precious materials that make it up.

You will learn about the curiosities that have made celebrities of this extraordinary place, I will tell you about its architectural style, the history of this important monument, and what sights are worth visiting.

Are you ready? Let’s get started!

ALT! Before we start with the article, a quick warning: you should know that the Cathedral of Pisa is one of the most important monuments in Piazza Dei Miracoli, you may risk running into a long line at the entrance of the attraction. To visit the famous Cathedral while skipping the line at the entrance, it is recommended that you buy your ticket online. Click below to book your admission and access the interior of Pisa Cathedral in an instant.

Inside the Pisa Cathedral

The Duomo of Pisa is also known as the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and is one of the most famous monuments in Pisa. Located in the celebrated Piazza dei Miracoli, the Duomo is a masterpiece of Romanesque and Gothic architecture.

Inside this majestic cathedral you can admire numerous mosaics and paintings that well represent the economic and political power achieved by the seafaring republic of Pisa.

Upon entering the Cathedral the impressive gilded coffered ceiling immediately leaps to the eye which displays complex geometric designs and religious symbols as well as the stem of the Medici family.

The columns, arches, and statues inside the Cathedral are works of art in marble carved by numerous master craftsmen who have taken turns making this monumental work a crossroads of cultures.

Inside the Duomo you can also visit the celebrated Pergamon Altar, the work of the sculptor Giovanni Pisano.

Many sculptures and interior decorations of the Cathedral are preserved at the Museum of the Opera del Duomo. The medieval arrests were significantly damaged by a fire that occurred in 1595.

In the construction of the Cathedral different stylistic figures and elements of different traditions architectural traditions are blended, from the Romanesque to the Gothic but also classical, Byzantine and Islamic traditions.

This variety reflects the international scope of the trade and commerce conducted by the Pisans during the period when the Cathedral was built.

What is inside the Cathedral of Pisa?

The floor plan of the cathedral

Wikipedia photo on wikipedia.org

The Cathedral of Pisa features a Latin cross plan. The building consists of five naves, abside and transect both present three naves. 

At the intersection of the arms of the cross stands a dome. 

Like the famous Torre di Pisa, this building is also sunken into the ground because of the texture of the soil on which it was erected. 

The facade

The exterior cladding of the Duomo consists mainly of white marble and secondarily of gray marble. The most valuable materials were used in the façade where numerous polychrome marbles alternate, at the bases of the building we can instead find poorer materials.

The Duomo of Pisa represents the famine of the maritime republic as a result of the numerous spoils collected during the croades and particularly during the looting of Palermo. 

Numerous mosaics and bronze elements found on the facade of the cathedral are proceeds from these military expeditions.

Ornamental bands andplant motifs alternate in the façade decorations.

On the facade spread imposing three portals, surmounted by lunettes embellished with mosaics attributed to Giuseppe Modena Da Lucca.

The mosaics represent respectively: The Assumption of the Virgin, Saint Reparata, John the Baptist. The making of the bronze portals saw the presence of numerous craftsmen of all the most famous is surely that of Giambologna.

The doors were originally made of wood but were destroyed during the fire of 1595 and rebuilt in bronze.

Despite the monumentality of the façade originally the entrance for worshippers was at the back of the building, from the St. Ranieri’s Gate overlooking the Campanile pending.

The aisles

The navings that make up the Duomo of Pisa are as many as 5, along them are distributed monolithic columns in gray marble and columns with Corinthian capitals. 

The main nave features windows, dating from the XV century, decorated with scenes depicting episodes from the Old Testament.

Transect

In the right transept is located the Cappella di San Ranieri, the patron saint of the city of Pisa.

In the left transept, however, is located the Holy Sacrament Chapel.

The remains of the ornaments of these structures can be visited at the Museum of the Opera del Duomo.

Frescoes

The frescoes inside Pisa Cathedral are extraordinary works of art that enrich the beauty and spirituality of this cathedral.

Let’s see what they are and who made them:

• Elliptical Dome: At the intersection of the arms of the Latin plan rises the Elliptical Dome, frescoed with the Virgin in Glory and Saints. The painter Orazio Riminaldi created this magnificent work between 1627 and 1628. The fresco, created after the aforementioned fire of 1595 is an example of encaustic painting, where color mixed with wax through heat is applied to surfaces.
• Catholic: In the Catholic, above thepresbytery,is thefamous mosaic of Christ Enthroned between the Virgin and St. John. The fresco, miraculously escaped from the fire of 1595, is definitely the work of Cimabue and represents precisely the last work done by the famous painter before his death. In fact, Cimabue failed to complete the fresco. The artists Francesco da Pisa and later Vincino da Pistoia completed the fresco, which is influenced by Byzantine and Norman art.
• Ceiling: The gilded and carved lacunar ceiling stretches all along the central nave, in the transect and in the presbytery. Carrying out this work, a masterpiece of decorative art, were the brothers Domenico and Bartolomeo Atticciati between 1596 and 1602. The lacunars are rectangular panels with geometric and floral motifs.

As for the materials used to create the frescoes, mainly colors with natural pigments mixed with water and applied directly on the walls according to the fresco technique were used.

This wall painting technique was widely used in medieval and Renaissance art.

Other items

Inside the Duomo is the famous Pergamum by Giovanni Pisano. 

Made in the early XIV century, the Pergamo is one of the masterpieces of Italian Gothic sculpture. The Pergamo is a raised structure with a balustrade, decorated with sculptures and reliefs representing biblical scenes and allegories. The structure survived the fire of 1595 and was dismantled and later restored and restored. 

The work is a complex and vast narrative cycle telling the Life of Christ, carved in the numerous forms surrounding the sculpture. The work has a polygonal structure similar to the shape and structure of that found inside the Baptistery.

The marble sculpture is supported by numerous caryatids, classical symbols repurposed in a Christian key to represent theological virtues.

Frequently asked questions

Interior of Pisa Cathedral: conclusions

We have come to the end of this lengthy post on the interiors of Pisa Cathedral, in which we looked together at what architectural elements make it up, the columns, the decorated ceiling, the plan, the façade, the marvelous frescoes and the sculptures preserved inside.

If you need more information, leave a comment below; or if you’re curious to see firsthand what the inside of Pisa Cathedral looks like, buy your admission ticket by skipping the ticket line.