Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, aka Brunelleschi’s dome, was the largest dome in the world after the fall of the Roman Empire and is still considered the largest ever made in masonry. Conceived, designed, and built by Filippo Brunelleschi, who initiated the Florentine Renaissance… [1280×720] [OC]

…in architecture with this work. It is considered one of the most important constructions built in Europe since the Roman period, due to its fundamental importance in the subsequent development of architecture and the modern conception of construction.

The dome has a pointed shape and is formed by eight ogival faces or panels, covered with red clay tiles and bordered by eight white stone ribs. The entire structure rests on an octagonal drum, pierced by eight oculi for lighting the interior. The ribs converge in an upper octagonal ring, crowned by a lantern, an element that also helps to admit light. The interior consists of two caps or domes, one inner and one outer, built with brick arranged in a herringbone pattern. They are connected by an internal grid of ribs and veins, which supports the dome and contributes to its stability. The gap between the two caps forms a space through which one ascends to the lantern. The exterior of the drum is clad with polychrome marble and an incomplete balustrade that was only built on one side. The inner face of the dome is decorated with fresco and tempera paintings depicting the Last Judgment.

The proportions of the complex are monumental. The maximum height of the dome is 116.50 meters, the maximum diameter of the inner cap is 45.5 meters, and that of the outer cap is 54.8 meters. The base of the imposts is 55 meters from the ground. The drum, 13 metres high and 43 metres wide, is situated 54 metres above the ground. The inner cap has a thickness at its base of 2.20 metres, decreasing to 2 metres at the top, while the outer cap has a thickness that increases from one metre to 0.40 metres. The upper ring closing the dome is located 86.70 metres from the ground. The lantern is 6 metres in diameter and 21 metres high. The trapezoidal panels measure 17.50 meters in length and have a height of 32.65 meters. The total estimated weight of the dome is about 30,000 tons and it is estimated that more than 4 million bricks were needed for its construction.

Its enormous dimensions made the use of traditional construction methods using formwork unfeasible, which has led to speculation about various theories about the construction technique employed. Brunelleschi left no record of any drawings, models or sketches that indicate the procedure used in the construction of the dome…

As usual, my apologies for inaccuracies and mistakes.