Pisa begins its cathedral

1063

With Sicilian loot filling the treasury, the Pisan republic began construction of its great cathedral beside the baptistery and the leaning campanile that would follow a century later. Buscheto designed a five-nave Romanesque basilica faced in polished marble. The Field of Miracles was at last taking form. The cathedral's Islamic-inspired arches reflected the cosmopolitan influences that Pisa's Mediterranean trading network brought home.