The She-Wolf of Siena mosaic.
That’s clearly what the medieval artists and architects who built the 13th-century masterpiece, the Duomo Di Siena.
Known in English as Siena Cathedral, the incredibleGothic masterpieceis richly decorated down to the dirt.
“The She-Wolf of Siena” mosaic. (Photo: Tango7174 viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 4.0)
The cathedral is a cross plan, with vaulted ceilings and a large decorated dome.
A tall bell tower rises attached to the main cathedral.
A cathedral library, the Piccolomini Library, abuts the church.
“Massacre of the Innocents” mosaic from the 1500s. (Photo: Tango7174 viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 4.0)
Withinfrescoesadorn high walls and statues grace knaves.
Outside,gargoyleslook down from on high.
Yet the hidden secret of the cathedral is its floor.
A floor panel showing Hermes Trismegistus and dating to the 1480s. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Covered in 56 mosaic panel scenes made of inlaid marble, the mosaic covers 14,000 square feet.
Geometric patterns wind their way among biblical and classical scenes.
The personified Four Virtues are featured, as are the biblical stories of King David and David and Goliath.
The Duomo Di Siena’s magnificent ceiling. (Photo: Gryffindor viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 3.0)
Most of the artists who designed the floor were local to the city.
First, they created a sketch.
They chiseled their ideas into white marble whose depressions were then filled with dark stucco.
The Duomo Di Siena interior. (Photo: Peter K Burian viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 4.0)
This graffito technique is connected to the modern wordgraffiti.
This is unlike the traditional inlay method for mosaics, which has been used since ancient times.
This latter method was used in the later additions to the floor throughout theRenaissance.
The Duomo Di Siena, the Siena Cathedral. (Photo: Raimond Spekking viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 4.0)
When can you see this magnificent floor?
A small portion is usually on display, but the grand unveiling comes in two spurts.
In 2022, the dates were in late July and from August to October.
This year it is uncovered through the end of July, as well as August 18 through October 18.
Tickets are eight euros, about nine dollars.
Children under six are free.
For more information, see theirwebsite.
Massacre of the Innocents mosaic from the 1500s.
A floor panel showing Hermes Trismegistus and dating to the 1480s.
(Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
The Duomo Di Siena’s magnificent ceiling.
(Photo: Gryffindor viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 3.0)
The Duomo Di Siena interior.
