Origin from 1173
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the freestanding campanile of Pisa Cathedral, built in the Pisan Romanesque style that also shaped the cathedral and baptistery beside it. Construction began in 1173; by the third storey the building had begun to tilt because its foundation, only about three metres deep, sits on soft, water-bearing subsoil unable to bear its weight evenly. Work stopped for nearly a century, which let the ground settle and is thought to have saved the tower from collapse, before resuming under later master builders and finally being completed with the bell chamber in the fourteenth century. Engineering work in the 1990s reduced the lean without straightening it, preserving the tilt that made the tower famous while securing its long-term stability.
Facts
Geography
LatitudeApproximate reference point, rounded to one decimal place; this marks the site's general location for a map, not a survey-grade or precise boundary measurement. LongitudeApproximate reference point, rounded to one decimal place; this marks the site's general location for a map, not a survey-grade or precise boundary measurement. Site
Type of SiteFreestanding bell tower or campanile 1 A freestanding bell tower serving Pisa Cathedral, architecturally and functionally distinct from the cathedral itself rather than a place of congregation in its own right. Type of Site DetailFreestanding bell tower of Pisa Cathedral, famous for the tilt caused by its shallow foundation. 2 Status
Status TodayStanding, but maintained as a museum or heritage monument 3 UNESCO World HeritageInscribed on the World Heritage List 3 Origins
Origin Period Origin Period History
Historical NoteBegun in 1173 in the Pisan Romanesque style, the tower had already begun to tilt by the time its third storey was built, its shallow foundation unable to bear its weight evenly on the site's soft, water-bearing subsoil. Construction paused for close to a century before resuming, a pause that allowed the ground to settle and is credited with keeping the structure standing at all. 1 Location
Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Belongs to Tradition
Contained In
Its own text: "the freestanding campanile of Pisa Cathedral," built in the Pisan Romanesque style.
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