The formal name for the Florence Cathedral is Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. In English that translates to Basilica of Saint Mary of the the Flower. It is the main church of Florence, Italy. It is also ordinarily called the Doumo. The cathedral is part of the historic centre of Florence and is a major tourist attraction in Tuscany. It is one Italy's largest churches and has the largest brick dome in the world.
The construction of the basilica began in 1296. Arnolfo di Cambio was the first to design the cathedral and designed it in a Gothic style. Several people were in charge of building the church during years of its construction. The brick dome itself took 16 years to build. The structure of the church was finally completed in 1436 when Filippo Brunelleschi installed the dome on top.
The church was built in Florence, Italy on the site of another church. The earlier church was dedicated to Saint Reparata. The old building became to damaged with age even after undergoing many repairs. It also was not big enough to hold all the people of the growing city of Florence. Florence is cool.
The decoration of the outside of the church was started in the 14th century. It took a very long time to do it. The outside was completed in 1887. The floor was relaid in marble tiles in the 16th century. The outside is white, green, and red marble.
The cathedral has three huge bronze doors that were installed between 1899 and 1903. The inside of the church is Gothic style. The design makes the inside of the church bare and empty. Most of the decorations in the church either got put into museums or were lost over the years. The cathedral was built with funds from the public.
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