Every year on June 16th (missed it!), Pisa celebrates La Luminara di San Ranieri, a festival honoring the city’s patron saint, Saint Ranieri. This tradition dates back to 1688, when the urn containing the remains of Saint Ranieri was placed in the Pisa Cathedral.
A breathtaking display of lights of over 200,000 candles in white-painted wooden frames are placed along the riverbanks of the Arno River. These frames are designed to highlight the architectural details of the buildings. Additionally, the Arno River acts as a mirror, reflecting the shimmering candlelight and creating a stunning visual spectacle. To enhance the candlelit effect, the city’s outdoor lights are turned off. The evening concludes with a fireworks show.
The order of construction on the Piazza del Duomo or Square of Miracles was the cathedral, the baptistry, the tower, and finally the cemetery … but everyone heads straight for the tower.
The Tower-3rd
The tower weighs 14,453 tons and was built on marshy soil. After the intervention of underexcavation between 1993 and 2001, the slope was reduced by 5.5° to 5°.
The Baptistry-2nd
The Baptistry leans a little bit as well but it is hardly noticed in the same view as the Tower.
Baptism is an initiation into the Christian community. Immersion of the catechumen (new word: person being baptized) into the water symbolizes the purging of sin and rising up to a new life. This commemorates the death and resurrection of Christ.
The ceremony of baptism, at first used to be performed wherever there was running water, in rivers or in basins not specifically created for that purpose. Soon a specific structure was created. The oldest baptistery ever found, dates from before 256, at Doura Europos on the Euphrates in modern day Syria.
The location of the Baptistery here in front of the Cathedral enables the neophyte once baptised to have access to the place of the Eucharistic celebration.
The Baptistery is still used to this day but Catholics sprinkle infants today so only adults would be immersed.
The Baptistery has amazing acoustics. We were able to hear a chant which is sung every 15 to 30 minutes.
I observed a group of St. X High School Latin students from Cincinnati, Ohio. I had to resist the urge to yell out O-H to which others from the Buckeye State yell I-O.
The Cathedral-1st
A temple of snow-white marble was founded in 1064 and consecrated in 1118. The building was not completed until the end of the 12th century when the bronze doors were placed.
In 1595, a fire destroyed many important artworks including the doors.
The Cemetery-4th
This final building built in 1277 houses 80 Roman sarcophagi. (I looked that up.) Until that time they had been crammed into the cathedral. Many frescoes cover the walls and are very graphic medieval scenes of hell.
These huge chains were a standout for me. Some type of torture? Actually, it is a type of peace treaty. Chains were commonly spread across rivers to prevent invaders from coming up into town. In order to seal the peace between Pisa and other Italian cities such as Genoa and Florence, they took the chains down. Now they hang in a museum.
The Strange
From robotic lawn mowers, creative drains, earplugs at your hotel (not a good sign), sliced bread to amazing abs!!!
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