Throughout the history of monumental architecture, domes have been built as symbols of spiritual aspiration, political power, and civic pride. Inspired by classic examples like the Pantheon in Rome, Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi created the Duomo (the cathedral of Florence, Italy) as a vault of unaparalleled magnificence and power. The Duomo remains the world's largest masonry dome.

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Illustrator

Fernando G. Baptista, National Geographic

Sources

Tom Mueller. "Il Duomo: How did a hot-tempered goldsmith with no formal architectural training create the most miraculous edifice of the Renaissance?" National Geographic, February 2014.

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