Which architect designed the original dome of Florence Cathedral?

Filippo Brunelleschi designed the original dome of Florence Cathedral.

Brunelleschi won the competition to solve the difficult engineering problem of covering the cathedral’s enormous octagonal crossing. Construction of the dome began in 1420, and the main structure was completed in 1436. It became the largest masonry dome in the world, a record it retained for centuries.

The dome used a double-shell design, with an inner and outer layer connected by ribs and horizontal elements. Brunelleschi also developed specialized lifting machinery to raise stone and other materials, allowing construction without the huge wooden centering traditionally used to support a dome during building.

The cathedral itself was designed over several generations, and its exterior was completed later. Brunelleschi’s dome is therefore not the whole building, but it is the defining architectural achievement of Santa Maria del Fiore and a landmark of Renaissance engineering.