The Orvieto Cathedral or Duomo of Orvieto is one of the most complex buildings to emerge in the late thirteenth century. The cathedral was built "... mostly in the time period from 1261 to 1304" in Orvieto, Italy (Wondermondo). It was built for two main reasons. The first reason was to hold the famous relic of the Corporal of Bolsena. This relic is a cloth that a consecrated Host (wafer or piece of bread that symbolizes the body of Christ) was said to have bled on. In 1263 a priest in Bolsena "...had barely spoken the words of Consecration when blood started to seep from the consecrated Host and trickle over his hands onto the altar and the corporal" (Cruz). While the consecrated Host itself obviously deteriorated, the cloth with the proposed blood from the bread was transported to Orvieto and remains in the cathedral today. The second reason for the cathedral's construction was to create a singular church for the city of Orvieto. They wanted "...to replace two decaying churches that existed there before" and establish a powerful image for their city (Orvietoviva). As we discussed in class, these two reasons were what motivated many of the cathedrals in Europe to be built. With the growth of urban cities in the Central Middle Ages came a sense of pride by the people that lived there. The way they showed this pride was by building a cathedral that they and others around the world would appreciate because of the work that it took to build such a masterpiece. They also needed places to house relics such as the Corporal of Bolsena or the Tunic of the Virgin Mary in the Chartres Cathedral.
What makes the Orvieto Cathedral so complex compared to other 13th and 14th-century cathedrals are the intertwined architectural styles of both Romanesque and Gothic. This is most likely caused by the multiple different architects that had a hand in its creation. When construction initially began in 1290 the "...chief-mason was Fra Bevignate di Perugia, using a Romanesque design, which envisaged a structure with a nave and two side aisles" (Wondermondo). After Perugia, Giovanni di Ugccione who modernized it by bringing in Gothic characteristics. The final person to influence it was Lorenzo Maitani who brought in his own Gothic ideas and is mostly responsible for how the cathedral looks today. When looking at the picture above we see the three portals of entry to the cathedral. From the class discussions, there is a clear distinction between Romanesque and Gothic arches. The middle portal reflects a curved Romanesque arch while the two outside portals reflect pointed Gothic arches. We can also see the Gothic rose window which serves as "...the focal point and catalyst for the observer of the cathedral facade" (Orvietoviva). The cathedral includes both mosaic arts more commonly found in Romanesque cathedrals and beautiful stained glass from the Gothic era. When you step inside the cathedral the frame is mostly Romanesque with the large pillars and curved arches down the nave, but the smaller pointed windows and intricate stonework reflect a more Gothic style. Overall, "...the obvious stylistic break between the bold, nearly
Romanesque forms of the nave of the cathedral and the delicate
Gothic aspect of the facade is regularly represented" throughout the cathedral (Gillerman). The Orvieto Cathedral has two very different styles of architecture but together they allow for a beautiful comparison to take place.
Works Cited
Cruz, Joan C. The Real Presence. Eucharistic Miracle: Bolsena-Orvieto, Italy. 1987, http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/bolsena.html.
Gillerman, David M. "The Evolution of the Design of Orvieto Cathedral, ca. 1290-1310." fmschmitt.com, September 1994, http://www.fmschmitt.com/travels/Italy/umbria/Orvieto/scholary%20article%20by%20GILLERMAN%20%20--DESIGN%20OF%20ORVIETO%20CATHEDRAL.pdf.
Orvietoviva. The Duomo of Orvieto. 2015, https://www.orvietoviva.com/en/the-duomo-of-orvieto/.
Wondermondo. Orvieto Cathedral. 20 July 2012, https://www.wondermondo.com/orvieto-cathedral/.
I did not know the reasons why this was built, this was very interesting information to find out!! I also liked how you talked about comparing the Romanesque architecture to the Gothic. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI am finding it interesting that building cathedrals was the largest employer in the middle ages.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like building structures like these in the middle ages took an insane amount of work. I wonder if the actual workers had as much pride in the buildings as everyone else. Did they enjoy what they were doing? I wonder if working on buildings like this was a dangerous job.
ReplyDeleteAnyone is welcome to sign up for the Rome, Italy summer trip! I take students through this cathedral and it is one of the most beautiful wonders. Know the it sits up high in Orvieto, and you need to take a funicular to reach it. It is also striped.
ReplyDeleteThis is extremely interesting. For large buildings like this there was rarely enough stone masons in a town to build them so masons would come from many surrounding cities and towns to work on these projects.
ReplyDeleteI think in this case the blending of the two styles--judging by the images you've provided to us--works well. Instead of coming off as awkward or clunky, I think the styles look elegant and imposingly gorgeous.
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