CHAPTER III.
THE CATHEDRAL.
EXTERIOR.
PHE Cathedral of Florence stands on ground once
occupied by the parish church of San Salvador, which
was demolished by Bishop Reparato, to build the basilica
called after the female saint whose name corresponded with his
own, Santa Reparata. At the same time he bestowed the name
of San Salvador on another church, whose façade of black and
white marble may still be seen behind the present archbishop’s
palace. Santa Reparata had a crypt below ; the presbytery
above was separated from the body of the church by a flight of
steps—a style of architecture still to be seen in the neighbour-
hood of Florence, at San Miniato al Monte. This basilica
only occupied the space within the nave of the present Cathe-
dral ; and antiquaries suppose that the façade of a church in
black and white marble in an ancient fresco in the cloister of
Santa Croce, and there represented beside Santa Maria del Fiore,
is intended for Santa Reparata. The only record remaining of
this building is that it was used as the parish church when San
Giovanni was raised to the dignity of the Cathedral, and that
the font was conveyed thither when San Giovanni finally
became the Baptistery of Florence.
The Cathedral Church of Santa Maria del Fiore was begun
in 1296 by Arnolfo di Cambio (1232-1310) who was ordered
to raise the loftiest, most sumptuous, and most magnificent
pile that human invention could devise, or human labour
•The wisest men of this city,' continues the
execute.'