On this Date in History: In Medieval Italy, a cathedral complex
was begun in Pisa, Italy. Ultimately,the complex would include
four structures and be known as the Campo dei Miracoli or Piazza
dei Miracoli, which means Fields of Miracles. If you are going
to build a cathedral complex, it’s probably best to start with
the cathedral and so the first building constructed was Duomo di
Pisa. It’s a fabulous example of Roman architecture and is set
upon a white marble pavement. Just to the west of the cathedral
dome, the baptistry was constructed. The third part of the Campo
dei Miracoli was the bell tower, more properly referred to as
the campanile. While the entire complex is considered by many
experts to be the most spectacular assembly of Roman
(Romanesque) architecture (though the cathedral is topped with
an Islamic-style dome), the bell tower has become one of the
world’s iconic structures and iconic engineering failure. The
tower’s design called for a 185 foot tall, circular, eight-story
column made of white