Count Francesco Algarotti, Camposanto Monumentale, Campo dei Miracoli, Pisa, Italy

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At first, I thought that this monument was dedicated to Frederick the Great, but a little Internet research indicated that Frederick died in 1786, not in 1764 as this monument proclaims. A little additional research led me to Francesco Algarotti, who was born in Venice, lived throughout most of Europe and died of tuberculosis in Pisa in 1764.
The Campo Santo, also known as Camposanto Monumentale ("monumental cemetery") or Camposanto Vecchio ("old cemetery"), is a historical edifice at the northern edge of the Cathedral Square in Pisa, Italy. It houses a number of Roman sarcophagi and the burial places of some of Pisa's most famous citizens. Campo Santo can be literally translated as "holy field", because it is said to have been built around a shipload of sacred soil from Calvary where, according to the Gospels, was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was crucified. The soil was brought back to Pisa from the Third Crusade by Ubaldo Lanfranchi, archbishop of Pisa in the 12th century. A legend claims that bodies buried in that ground will rot in just 24 hours. The burial ground lies over the ruins of the old baptistery of the church of Santa Reparata, the church that once stood where the cathedral now stands. The term "monumental" serves to differentiate it from the later-established urban cemetery in Pisa. The building was the fourth and last one to be raised in the Cathedral Square. It dates from a century after the bringing of the soil from Jerusalem and was erected over the earlier burial ground. The construction of this huge, oblong Gothic cloister was begun in 1278 by the architect Giovanni di Simone. He died in 1284 when Pisa suffered a defeat in the naval battle of Meloria against the Genoans. The cemetery was only completed in 1464. It seems that the building was not meant to be a real cemetery, but a church called Santissima Trinità (Most Holy Trinity), but the project changed during the construction. However, we know that the original part was the western one and all the eastern part was the last to be built, finally closing the structure.
Additional information about the Campo Santo may be obtained at Wikipedia. Additional information about the Count Francesco Algarotti may be obtained at Wikipedia.

Taken in: Italia / Toscana / Pisa (show map)

Taken on: September 15, 2018

Tags:

Count Francesco Algarotti

Francesco Algarotti

Camposanto Monumentale

Campo dei Miracoli

Campo Santo

Monumental Cemetery

Camposanto Vecchio

Old Cemetery

Cathedral Square

Piazza del Duomo

Piazza dei Miracoli

Square of Miracles

Field of Miracles

Holy Field

Sacred Soil

Calvary

Jerusalem

Third Crusade

Ubaldo Lanfranchi

Lanfranchi, Ubaldo

Archbishop of Pisa

Gothic Cloister

Giovanni di Simone

di Simone, Giovanni

Santissima Trinita

Santissima Trinità

Most Holy Trinity

Guillaume Libri

Libri, Guillaume

Pisa

Italy

Paul Fernandez « less

Sets appears in: • 2018 - Florence, Pisa, & Lucca, Italy • Sculpture

Camera: Nikon D800, f/8.0, 1/30 sec, 20mm (=30mm), ISO 1000 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D800
Lens:	10.0-20.0 mm f/3.5
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.033 sec (1/30)
Focal Length:	20mm (35mm equivalent: 30mm)
ISO:	1000
Exposure Bias:	+2/3 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Spot
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	High gain up
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Ver.1.01
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