Gates of Paradise

A couple of years ago I was in Florence, Italy. It was paradise for me and my camera, so many beautiful buildings, churches, sculptures, bridges.

And doors.

In this post I want to show you a few details of the Gates of Paradise, which is the main gate of the Baptistry of Florence (Battistero di San Giovanni). It is located in front of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

Author of the gates was Lorenzo Ghiberti. He made the shiny door between 1425 and 1452. Ghiberti was local sculptor and goldsmith. He did an amazing job by portraying scenes from the Old Testament.

It is not a surprise that the door became an icon of the Renaissance. The Gates of Paradise are seventeen-foot-tall and weigh three-tons.

According to The Lives of the Artist by Giorgio Vasari, the door—once known just as the East Door—was named the Gates of Paradise by Michelangelo Buonarroti because of its striking beauty.
Source

I am not a big fan of golden colors but these gates are a breathtaking piece of art that even I can't resist.

I was actually preparing a post from Florence and Tuscany in general but the Gates of Paradise, I decided eventually, deserves its own post.

I hope one day I visit Florence again and take an even closer look around. I am sure I missed a lot.

Have a lovely day :)