The Cathedral or Duomo and
the Baptistery of Florence stand in a huge
rectangular area and occupy two separate but
comunicating squares: Piazza del Duomo, which
contains the basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore
(the third largest cathedral in the world
after St. Peter's in Rome and St. Paul's in
London), and Piazza San Giovanni.
with the Baptistery right
in the centre, probably the first Christian
church in the city, as it was built in late
Roman times (4th-5th century A.D.) on the
ruins of what was possibly a Roman temple
dedicated to the god Mars.
However, the Baptistery as
we see it today, which has always represented
an architectural reference point for Florentine
artists, dates from the 11th-13th century,
when the external revestmment of marble, the
interior and the mosaics in the cupola were
completed.
The three famous doors in
gilded bronze, including the so-called Doors
"of Paradise", were cast at a later
date, between 1330 and 1452.
