Before looking closer into the building of the cathedral, it is important to first take a look at Florence as a city before and during the Renaissance. The Cathedral was built during the end of two distinct time periods for Italian art. The Trecento is the 1300’s and marks the transition between the Gothic and Renaissance periods as well as the promise of growth and wealth. The Quattrocento period of the 1400’s was marked by increased prosperity and continual progression in the arts. However, during the Trecento, both internal and external forces were continually threatening the existence of Florence as an independent state. Internally, the threats consisted of mainly people in the lower social statuses attempting to demolish the guild
