Ark and Laura in Florence 2005 (65 of 172)

Pope Eugene IV consecrated the cathedral in 1436 (it was begun in 1296), dedicating it to Santa Maria del Fiore. In the first chapel of the transept is the dramatic marble Pieta by Michelangelo, a work executed by the artist for his own tomb and left unfinished in 1555. It is the most important monument in the cathedral but I didn't get to see it. You'll see why in a minute.