A Very Detailed Artistic Description
INDUSTRIE GRAFICHE V. LISCHI & FIGLI -PISA
INDUSTRIE GRAFICHE V. LISCHI & FIGLI -PISA
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Of all the characteristic towers throughout the world "la Torre Pendente" (Leaning Tower) of Pisa, rouses in our mind a striking sense of astonishment owing to its exquisite beauty and peculiar statics. It has been erected beside the Cathedral, the Baptistery and Cemetery, pure jewels of the Pisan Romanic architecture on that marvellous square, rightly called "Plaza of the Miracles" (Piazza dei Miracoli).
The Tower is a cylindrical structure surrounded at its ground level by an order of tall blind arcades resting on half-columns, following an architectural plan similar to the front of the Cathedral. Above ground level are six floors of aerial open galleries. At its highest part lies the cylindrical belfry of a smaller diameter encircled by small arcades resting upon consoles or small columns framing the various openings. This is the outward order of the wonderful monument of the Pisan Romanic architecture of which a detailed artistic description throughout its history follows. Foundation By the entrance door, on the right wall of the first arcade, an inscription shows the exact date of the Leaning Tower's foundation AN DNI MCLXXIIII CAMIPANILE HOC FUIT FUDATU MSE AUG. (on August in Our Lord's year 1174 this belltower was erected). We must notice, however, that the date 1174 is given according to the Pisan computation of time so that this date is in advance by one year on our present computation. Therefore in conformity with our actual calendar, the foundation date should go back to August of the year 1173. This explains the variation in the date found in different guide-books. The date of the foundation has been handed down to us much more exactly by Bernardo Marangone's Chronicles, a very trustworthy and contemporary writer. Also by two contemporary parchments; the one signed August 9th 1174 filed in the Pisa's State Archives, and the other in the Capitulary Archives N° 763. Marangone's chronicles read: Anno Domini MCLXXIIII, Indictione VI, quinto idus Augusti Campanilis Sancte Marie, rotundus fundatus est. Sequpnti anno, nilis Sancte Marie, rotundus fundatus est. Sequpnti anno, factus gradus unus in circuitu. (in the year of Our Lord 1174, in the sixth indiction in the 5th day before the Ides of August the round bell-tower of Saint Mary (the name of the Cathedral) was founded. In the following year the first level was built. Both the parchments state the same sentence: Campanile Duomi fuit fundatum MCLXXIIII, Indictione VI, VI dus Augusti. (The Cathedral's bell-tower was founded in the year 1174 in the sixth indiction in the fifth day before the August Ides). Then we have clearly year 1174 according to the Pisan style; (year 1173 (the 6th indiction) in compliance with current accounting), August 6th (5th day before Ides August). When the first stone of the Leaning Tower was laid the Baptistery, started in the year 1159, was still not finished. The architect of the Bell Tower Bonanno Pisano, the sculptor of the Pisa Cathedral's doors (those to the left of the apts) and of Palermo Cathedral, is traditionally believed to be the architect and first builder of the Bell Tower. Careful research has proved untrue the speculation that Bonanno had a partner in the person of William of Innsbruck, considered by some to be an Italian and identified as William, the sculptor of the ancient Pulpit in the Cathedral and of whom a sepulchral memory is found in the plinth of the first pilaster to the left of the Cathedral front: Sepultura Guilelmi -Magistri qui fecit pergum Sancte Marie (burial of Master William who made St. Mary pulpit). Some believe William to have lived toward the first half of the 13th century and had a part in the erection of the Leaning Tower at that time. About the Campanile's Building and Leaning Before beginning to deal with this subject, the most interesting of all, it is necessary to address the matter concerning the Campanile's inclination. The lean is not uniform, but different from floor to floor, obvious upon inspection. In fact starting from its base, from the leaning side, and looking up carefully as far as its top, the Tower, follows a line which slightly bends in an opposite direction to the lean. There are two interpretations of this lean. Some judge the lean to be artificial, intentional, and carried out by the builders themselves; others maintain it is a natural accidental caused by progressive yielding of the soil. Let us examine at first the thesis and proofs of the former, starting from the most extravagant premise such as to attribute the leaning to the fact that its builder, William of Innsbruck, was humpbacked and desired the Tower to be bent and hunched in his own image and likeness. Others say that the lean is symbolic: the Tower displays the decay of the Pisan Commonwealth, at odds with the Guelph papal party, who were often defetaed by the Pisans. Others, more judicious, speculate that the leaning was intentional in order to create a monument amazing because of its singularity. The arguments in support of the thesis about an artificial leaning are meaningless and we must accept the reasons in support of a leaning caused unintentionally. Considering the documents we can establish, without further hesitation, that the leaning of the Campanile is due exclusively to a yielding of the ground, not infrequent at Pisa, where there are two more leaning church steeples, though of less importance: one, the St. Nicola Campanile in St. Maria Street: the other, the Campanile of St. Michele of the Scalzi at Porta Piagge. Even on the square of the "Miracoli" there existed on the spot of the actual Cathedral the church of St. Maria in Padule (marsh), whose name clearly justifies the quality of that ground. Another fact will sustain our thesis. In the year 1650 at a short distance from the Leaning Tower something happened quite similar to the sinking of the Campanile foundations. The foundations of the fountain with the "putti" (angels) by Vacca, drawn by Tempesti, sank twice and its weigh was certainly much less than the Campanile's, at about 14,500 tons. We want to give an exact statement about the history of its leaning. Foundations 7.42 meters (24.32 ft) around at a dedpth of 2.70 meters (8.85 ft) were dug. It is certainly strange that so shallow a foundation should support to much bulk and in such a position. The latest soundings have brought about these results and moreover the news that pilings were not used as it was usual to do for foundations at that time on such marshy unstable soil. Perhaps the builders could not dig at a greater depth, because an excessive quantity of water was found out. Even today groundwater is found in Pisa at the depth of 2 meters deep (6 ft). We must not forget that, in 1173, the sea reached the perimeter of town, a distance of only two or three kilometers. After digging the foundations, the base was built in common masonry with split and pozzuolan stones and then it was left to dry and solidify for nearly one year. In the following year, as Maragone reports, the first order (story) of tall blind arcades (arches with infill masonry) was built. The system of construction is simple: on the foundation there were based and erected two walls: the outside one, the other inside with broad marble stones which had been previously dressed only on the outward part, while the inside was left rough and rugged in order to make a solid and strong bond between the lime and stone rubble set between the two walls. The space between the two walls was filled up with stones and lime taking care to leave a tunnel winding helically through the thickness of the wall allowing for the building of the staircase. The thickness of the perimeter wall is, at the base, 4.06 meters (13.31 ft). At the first floor up to the top, it decreases from 2.69 m. (8.8 ft) to 2.48 m. (8.7 ft). This first blind arcade order was covered with a vault open at the top to allow raising the building materials and to gather rainwater that passed into a gutter, whose orifice entered into a scupper on the northern side. This fact is absolutely contrary to the thesis of an intentional leaning, because it would have been foolish to build a scupper opposite to the leaning side so as to compel the waters to flow uphill. The scupper is still visible. Thence we can deduce that in the first year of construction, the building was still completely vertical so as to have the gutter in a perfect horizontal position flowing around the vault and emptying itself on the northern side. Shortly the construction reached the second floor, commencing too a part of the third. Here the work was interrupted about 60 years. There is speculation that measurements showed that the first floor of the building had sunk about 14 cm. (5.6 in.), southwards, and the builders considered correcting the leaning by raising the first and second gallery to return to level; but if the third gallery was begun, the next sinking could occur, so the builders gave up their undertaking in dilema during this 60 year period. Owing to more careful measures, however, it has been noticed that the height of the 1st and 2nd floor is identical south and northwards and therefore all this hypothesis of successive sinkings of the soil and correspondent corrections is false. About 60 years the Tower remained dormant. There was no effort to go on with the work, until after the middle of the year 1200 (the Hospital of Pope Alexander was built(1257-63); the the upper part of the Baptistery (1278); and construction of the monumental Cemetery (1278) was begun). Giovanni of Simone was entrusted with the resumption of the works. A most difficult task was committed to his architect, who was used to solving arduous problems of statics such as the Campanile of St. Francesco, built without foundations, it leaned upon two walls of the church. He designed a daring acute arch through which pressures and counter-pressures were delicately balanced. The question was how to build upon a base sunk down and inclined on an untrustworthy ground and build a lenaing edifice threatening to fall in ruin. Giovanni of Simone set about the work finishing the third gallery without correcting the leaning. Then he built the fourth gallery correcting it by 16 cm (6.6 in.) southwards, the side of the leaning. He superelevated the fifth gallery too, and the belfry, each one by three more centimeters (1.3 in.). He left the belfry empty and columnless probably with a view to end it with a dome. In this way Giovanni of Simone built a seven order Tower with a blind arcade base; five floors with gallery and columns, a bare belfry. The total height was 48 m. (160.6 ft.). But it was not extended: another artist perhaps bolder than the former had the merit to bring to an end the Leaning Tower as we admire it. Thomas Pisano, we don't know exactly in which year, but probably not before the fourteenth century, transformed Giovanni of Simone's belfry into a sixth gallery with columns like the other five and crowned the whole edifice with a new belfry adorned with columns and arcades superelevating it by 45 cm. (1.49 ft.) southward as to make it slightly lean northward so that the whole edifice was also protected from further sinkings of the soil (which did not take long to manifest). In fact since then the Campanile increased its lean by 80 cm. (2.81 ft.), reaching thus the measure of 4.265 m. (14 ft.). The Campanile, as completed, stands 179 feet high and is 51 feet, 8 inches in diameter. In 1573 the Campanile was surrounded at its base by a marble balustrade, but then the base was entirely filled with earth both owing to the sinking and the increase in the lean. It was again revelaed in 1838 when the base was dug out. In the year 1909 a Committee was appointed to study and record the static conditions of the Campanile and it was affirmed that the leaning had increased by 20 cm. (10.4 in.) since the last measurement were executed in 1817 by the English professors Cresy and Taylor. In addition, the Committee noted that the foundations were warped like the Tower and that a standing waterspring continually carried off material undermining the Campanile at its base causing an increase in the lean of 1 mm. (0.04 in.) per year. They ackowledged that there could be other incidental causes for this increase of leaning such as changes in the underground conditions of the water-spring itself situated just at the base of the Campanile; in the changes of temperature, and the ensuing actions of frost and thaw; in the action of wind; in the oscillation caused by the bells during their ringing; and in the probable seismic motions. In order to follow better all the possible motions of the Tower, movable and fixed water-levels of utmost precision were installed; pairs of most sensitive seismographs were installed at the base and at the top of the Campanile, and lastly, a special dedicated pendulum-instrument was constructed to measure the leaning. From all these instruments, the technicians noticed different and unforeseen motions: sometimes a move northwards (therefore a mark of straightening), sometimes a movement southwards (therefore a mark of leaning); finally an eastwards motion was recorded. After long years of careful research a remedy was conceived for one of the hazards: to neutralise the action of the waterspring, make the foundations tight by the injection of cement. This work was done in the year 1933 executing 361 holes by a bore with a diamond bit of 50 mm. (2 in.) diameter with a length of 1400 m. (1538.5 yd.) and placement of 93.2 tons of mortar at high pressure. The holes were made in four rows two inside and two outside and the cement, in a mixture of equal parts by weight of water and cement, was injected into the block of the foundation at a pressure of half an atmosphere. By this work the water was not removed, but the foundations were made more solid and firm as to resist the action of erosion of the continuous flow of water. Description of the Campanile Looking at the entrance-door, on the wall of the first arcade to the right, an allegoric bas-relief is to be seen representing a bull and a bear which bites a dragon or basilisk's tail. It seems that these figures symbolize the struggle between the devil (dragon) tempting the humanity (bull) and the divine grace (bear). Under the bas-relief a Latin inscription is written "ANNO DNI MCLXXIIII CAMPANILE HOC FUIT FUNDATUM MSE AUG." (In the year of our Lord 1174 in August this Campanile was founded.) A little farther up on the same wall, we see a bas-relief representing a Tower in the middle of the sea with two ships at its sides. It seems that it signifies the fighting Church leading the Christians'souls into the port of salvation. Others believe that it represents the old harbour of Pisa (8 centuries ago the sea reached almost the periphery) or the Tower of Meloria which was probably built by the same Bonanno. To the left a figure like the first just described: a dragon between a bear and a buch-goat. The bas-reliefs, inscriptions, and graffiti found in the Campanile, in the Cathedral or in the Baptistery have no value but decorative, because there is no great amount of original material in these monuments: they were taken from ancient constructions or from buildings of conquered enemy towns. The architrave ends in a border, the two capitals and the smooth pillars are not the original ones. Above the architrave in a bow-shaped lunette is a sculptural group by Andrea of Francesco Guardi, representing the busts of the "Vergine col Bambino" at the centre, St. Pietro to the right, St. Giovanni Battista to the left. On the left side of the entrance we can see the fragments of the sepulchral inscription of Bonanno Pisano. These fragments were found in the following way related by Torri, contemporary to the fact: "The sepulchral urn was found a short distance from the pieces noted, which urn was formerly used as cover for the remains, that have been dispersed. I saw too, it was of white marble, of a middle size, supported and fixed upon a solid bottom so as not to be easily removed; it was later covered again with earth". That took place in 1820 as the grave-stone laid over the fragments says: IN WHICH THE NAME OF BONANNO OF PISA IS KEPT BUILDER OF THIS MARVELLOUS EDIFICE. THEY WERE ACCIDENTALLY EXHUMENED IN 1820 AND BY CARE OF THE "OPERAIOA CAV. CARMIGNANI" LAID DOWN HERE AT THE HONORABLE REMEMBRANCE OF THE CELEBRATED ARTIST IN FEBRUARY OF 1841. The fragments bear the following Latin inscription : "PISANI CIVIS BONANNI NOMINE" (perhaps it continued with "CINIS"), ashes of the Pisan citizen whose name was Bonanno. It is interesting to note that this inscription has reversed type - the writing proceeding from right to left. It seems that this is due to the fact that this slab of pozzuolan or other hard stone in reverse action upon the inscription of the bronze cover bearing a normal direction, had reproduced the mould of it; or it might be it was prepared in such a manner in order to be used as a mould for the bronze cover casting. To the right, just in front of Bonanno urn's fragments there is a big marble memorial stone laid on the occasion of the first Congress of the scientists held in Pisa in 1839 as a token of how Galileo Galilei brought about is experiments on the fall of heavy bodies from the height of this Tower. The disciple and biographer Lorenzo Viviani states as follows: "From the top of this Tower Galileo did his experiments on the falling of heavy bodies. He realized the necessity to add to the investigation of natural effects a thorough knowledge of the motion of nature, according to that common and philosophic axiom, "ignorato motu ignoratur natura" (not knowing the motion, nature too is unknown), therefore he applied himself entirely to the contemplation of it. To the great disappointment of all the philosophers, these experiments resulting from his experience, demonstrations, proofs and speeches, acknowledged the falsity of a great many conclusions of the Greek philospher Aristotes about the matter of motion, considered until then quite plain and indubitable: as for instance, the velocity of heavy bodies in motion: the same material of unequal weight, in motion by the same means, keep the same proportion as their gravitation, affirmed by Aristote; nay, they all move with equal velocity, proved by repeated experiments executed at the height of the Pisa Campanile in the presence of the other philosophers and disciples (Viviani - Life of Galileo Galilei) . The following is the Latin diction of the memorial stone: SUPER GRAVIUM CORPORUM LAPSU INSTITUTIS LEGIBUS MOTUS DETECTIS MECHANICEN CONDIDIT INGENTIBUSQUE SUIS POSTERIORUMQUE SOPHORUM INTENTIS PRAELUSIT. IN CUIUS REI MEMORIAM VINCENTIUS CARMINIANUS EQ. AUR. AEDITUUS TEMPLI MAXIMI PISANORUM MARMOR INSCRIPTUM DEDICAVIT KAL. OCTOBR. AN. MDCCCXXXVIIII QUO DIE AUCTORITATE AUSPICIISQUE LEOPOLDI II MAGNI DUCIS ETRURIAE STUDIORUM OPTIMORUM FAUTORIS PROVIDENTISSIMI PRIMORES DOCTORUM EX UNIVERSA EUROPA PISIS AD CONVENTUM MAXIMUM COEUNTES DISCIPLINIS ET .ARTIBUS ITALORUM FAUSTA INCREMENTA POLLICENTUR. (Galileo Galilei, doing some experiments from the top of this Leaning Tower on the falling of heavy bodies and discovering the laws of the movement, founded mechanics and preluded his own great discoveries and successes. As remembrance of this fact, Knight Vincenzo Carmignani Operaio of the Temple of Pisa dedicated this marble grave stone on the 1st of October 1839, when, by authority and protection of Leopold II, Granduke of Tuscany and protector of sciences, the principal men of science of all Europe have come to this great congress in Pisa adding to Italian sciences and arts.) Above the small door of the staircase a marble memorial stone reminds the visitor of Carlo Ludovico king of Etrury and Maria Luisa Regent in 1707. On entering it, above the window oposite to us we see sculpted a fish with the Greek denomination: ixthus. It is a christian symbol representing Christ. The word ixthus (fish in the Greek language) is composed with the initials of these five words: Iesus Christos theou uios soter: Gesu Cristo son of God Saviour. The ancient frame about 6 m. high around the wall, was used as base to the former vault we have already spoken of. In the thickness of the wall there is the staircase with 294 steps - worn out because of the passage of millions of people leading to the top. The visitors may enter at each level a gallery supported by 30 columns. At the summit - around the belfry there are 12 columns. From the fourth floor up, the columns are thinner on the side of leaning to lighten the weight in that part. The capitals of the different columns bear the print of many schools and ages. Those of the ground floor are of classic models; the upper ones are of all ages. However the original are few in number; many have been replaced through centuries. A Romanic capital of the first gallery towards the northeast is very strange: it bears monkey figurines. On the summit of the Tower there are seven bells cast to reproduce the seven musical notes. Each of them has its own name and story. The oldest is called "Pasquereccia". It was cast, as the inscription around it says, by the famous maker of bells Lotteringo. "A. D. MCCLXII -Lotteringus de Pisis me fecit - Gerardus Hospitalarius solvit" (in the year of our Lord 1262 made by Lotteringo of Pisa - Paid for by Gerardo Hospitalarius). The engraving is adorned with arabesque decorations: small rosaces, shieldes with a winged lion, an eagle, a winged horse, an angel, imperial and divine marks. The Virgin ("Vergine") with the Angel ("Annunciazione"), perhaps of Giotto's school, is to be admired. "Pasquereccia" was on the Tower of Justice and used to ring to announce the capital executions of criminals and traitors. It seems that it rung also for Count Ugolino's death. The largest bell is called "Assunta" because it is adorned with a bas-relief representing the "Assunzione della Vergine" (The Ascent of the Virgin Mary). In addition there are Medici's armorial bearings and the Operaio Dei Seta's. It was cast by G. Pietro Orlando in 1655 and weighs 3.6 tons. The most modern bell named "Crocifisso" (Crucifix) was cast in 1818 by a Mr. Gualandi of Prato. There is also St. Ranieri's bell with the related inscription, dedicated to the patron-saint of Pisa, Saint Ranieri, cast by Berti of Lucca in 1735. Pozzo's bell, so called because the cost was defrayed by archbishop Pozzo in 1616 and it displays the armorial bearings of the Gran Duke, Archbishop of Pozzo, of the Operaio of that time and the Pisan cross. The two other bells are situated in the upper arcades. On South there is the bell called "Terza" (because it is the custom to ring it at the third canonical hour about 9 a.m.). It bears interesting black-letters recently deciphered by Professore Biagi: Messer Antollio of ]acopo Operaio MCCCCLXXIIII. (1474) On North side there is the other bell named "Vespruccio" (because it is rung at Vespers about 6 p.m.). Panorama From the top of the Campanile there is an ample and beautiful view. On the North a flat plain, the first buttresses of hills, and farther the "Alpi Apuane" are seen. On the East the lovely "Monti Pisani"; South, at distance, Leghorn harbour. On the West the windings of the Arno and beyond the "Pineta" the glittering of the sea and the Gorgona isle. |
