Camposanto Monumentale
Giovanni di Simone · Pisa, Italy · 1464
The Camposanto closes the north side of Pisa's cathedral square with a long marble wall and a calm internal cloister. Tradition associates its courtyard earth with soil brought from the Holy Land, while the architectural form creates a sheltered cemetery lined by arcades, tombs and frescoes. Giovanni di Simone began the Gothic enclosure in the thirteenth century; construction and decoration continued for generations. Severe wartime damage led to a major conservation campaign and the transfer and reinstallation of frescoes. The listed year marks completion of the principal building, but the monument's current appearance also records destruction, restoration and ongoing work on its painted surfaces.