Façade of the Orvieto Duomo - Lorenzo Maitani, 1310 - 1456
This façade in Orvieto shows a very painterly design, again reinforcing the preeminence of painters as architects in the trecento. The façade is broken up into three distinct levels, with relief sculptures at the bottom and the four bronze symbols of the evangelists decorating façade, a huge technical feat during this time. Sheets of alabaster cover the windows, a nod to the papal influence that was exercised over the construction of this church. There are also twisted columns, another allusion to Rome and the papacy; these columns can be considered the architectural equivalent of cosmati work, another symbol of the papacy.
