D.
LEANING TOWER of PISA
The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italian: Torre pendente di Pisa) or simply the Tower of Pisa
(Torre di Pisa) is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city
of Pisa, known worldwide for its unintended tilt to one side. It is situated behind the
Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in Pisa's Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo) after
the Cathedral and the Baptistry. The tower's tilt began during construction, caused by an
inadequate foundation on ground too soft on one side to properly support the structure's
weight. The tilt increased in the decades before the structure was completed, and gradually
increased until the structure was stabilized (and the tilt partially corrected) by efforts in the
late 20th and early 21st centuries.The height of the tower is 55.86 metres (183.27 feet) from
the ground on the low side and 56.67 metres (185.93 feet) on the high side. The width of the
walls at the base is 2.44 m (8 ft 0.06 in). Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons (16,000
short tons).[1] The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the
north-facing staircase. Prior to restoration work performed between 1990 and 2001, the tower
leaned at an angle of 5.5 degrees,[2][3][4] but the tower now leans at about 3.99 degrees.[5] This
means that the top of the tower is displaced horizontally 3.9 metres (12 ft 10 in) from where it
would be if the structure were perfectly vertical.[6]
Architect There has been controversy about the real identity of the architect of the
Leaning Tower of Pisa. For many years, the design was attributed to Guglielmo and Bonanno
Pisano,[7] a well-known 12th-century resident artist of Pisa, famous for his bronze casting,
particularly in the Pisa Duomo. Bonanno Pisano left Pisa in 1185 for Monreale, Sicily, only
to come back and die in his home town. A piece of cast with his name was discovered at the
foot of the tower in 1820, but this may be related to the bronze door in the faade of the
cathedral that was destroyed in 1595. However, recent studies[8] seem to indicate Diotisalvi as
the original architect due to the time of construction and affinity with other Diotisalvi works,
notably the bell tower of San Nicola and the Baptistery, both in Pisa. However, he usually
Construction Construction of the tower occurred in three stages across 199
years. Work on the ground floor of the white marble campanile began on
August 14, 1173, during a period of military success and prosperity. This
ground floor is a blind arcade articulated by engaged columns with
classical Corinthian capitals.The tower began to sink after construction
had progressed to the second floor in 1178. This was due to a mere threemetre foundation, set in weak, unstable subsoil, a design that was flawed
from the beginning. Construction was subsequently halted for almost a
century, because the Republic of Pisa was almost continually engaged in
battles with Genoa, Lucca, and Florence. This allowed time for the
underlying soil to settle. Otherwise, the tower would almost certainly have
toppled.[citation needed] In 1198 clocks were temporarily installed on the third
floor of the unfinished construction.In 1272 construction resumed under
Giovanni di Simone, architect of the Camposanto. In an effort to
compensate for the tilt, the engineers built upper floors with one side
taller than the other. Because of this, the tower is actually curved.[9]
Construction was halted again in 1284, when the Pisans were defeated by
the Genoans in the Battle of Meloria.The seventh floor was completed in
1319. It was built by Tommaso di Andrea Pisano, who succeeded in
harmonizing the Gothic elements of the bell-chamber with the
Romanesque style of the tower. There are seven bells, one for each note
of the musical major scale. The largest one was installed in 1655. The bellchamber was finally added in 1372.After a phase (19902001) of
structural strengthening,[10] the tower is currently undergoing gradual
surface restoration, in order to repair visible damage, mostly corrosion
and blackening. These are particularly pronounced due to the tower's age
and its exposure to wind and rain.[11]
Timeline
On January 5, 1172, Donna Berta di Bernardo, a widow and resident of the
house of dell'Opera di Santa Maria, bequeathed sixty soldi to the Opera
Campanilis petrarum Sancte Marie. The sum was then used toward the
purchase of a few stones which still form the base of the bell tower. [12]
On August 9, 1173, the foundations of the Tower were laid.
Nearly four centuries later Giorgio Vasari wrote: "Guglielmo, according to
what is being said, in [this] year 1174 with Bonanno as sculptor, laid the
foundations of the bell tower of the cathedral in Pisa."
Giorgio Vasari indicates that Tommaso di Andrea Pisano was the designer
of the belfry between 1360 and 1370.
On December 27, 1233, the worker Benenato, son of Gerardo Bottici,
oversaw the continuation of the construction of the bell tower. [13]
On February 23, 1260, Guido Speziale, son of Giovanni, a worker on the
cathedral Santa Maria Maggiore, was elected to oversee the building of
the Tower.[14]
On April 12, 1264, the master builder Giovanni di Simone and 23 workers
went to the mountains close to Pisa to cut marble. The cut stones were
given to Rainaldo Speziale, worker of St. Francesco. [15]One possible builder
is Gerardo di Gerardo. His name appears as a witness to the above legacy
of Berta di Bernardo as "Master Gerardo", and as a worker whose name
was Gerardo.A more probable builder is Diotisalvi, because of the
construction period and the structure's affinities with other buildings in
Pisa. But he usually signed his works, and there is no signature by him in
the bell tower.Giovanni di Simone was heavily involved in the completion
of the tower, under the direction of Giovanni Pisano, who at the time was
master builder of the Opera di Santa Maria Maggiore. He could be the
same Giovanni Pisano who completed the belfry tower.
