Gargoyles of Torre del Mangia - Siena, Italy
Posted by: vraatja
N 43° 19.101 E 011° 19.932
32T E 689112 N 4798810
Marble gargoyles on the top part of Torre del Mangia, one of the tallest secular towers in medieval Italy (102 m) located on a famous Siena' square Piazza del Campo.
Waymark Code: WMZYBV
Location: Toscana, Italy
Date Posted: 01/22/2019
Views: 6
The Torre del Mangia located on Siena's premier square - Piazza del Campo was built in 1338-1348. When built it was one of the tallest secular towers in medieval Italy. At 102 m, it is second tallest after Cremona's Torrazzo 112 m. The tower was built to be exactly the same height as the Siena Cathedral as a sign that the church and the state had equal amounts of power.Literally meaning ‘Tower of the Eater’, the name refers to its first bellringer, Giovanni di Balduccio, nicknamed Mangiaguadagni (‘eat-the-profits’, or, ‘profit eater’) for his spendthrift tendency or his idleness or gluttony.
The marble loggia on the top, known as Cappella di Piazza, was added in 1352 as a vow for the Holy Virgin by the Sienese survivors from the Black Death.Just at the upper part eight marble gargoyles can be found in two levels at the corners of the tower. The statues of the gargoyles depict a she-wolf with a children drinking from her breast, which probably refers to Capitoline Wolf.
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