Construction of the Dome of Florence Cathedral

Filippo Brunelleschi constructed the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore between 1420 and 1436, completing the cathedral begun by Arnolfo di Cambio in 1296. The octagonal dome spans 45.5 meters internally, weighing over 25,000 tons and using an estimated 4 million bricks. Brunelleschi, trained as a goldsmith, won the commission through a 1418 competition. He engineered a double-shell structure built without centering scaffolding, inventing specialized hoisting machinery to raise materials. Pope Eugene IV consecrated the completed dome on August 1, 1436.