The history of this square begins in the Etruscan and Roman era as attested by the discovery of the remains of both Roman building foundations and mosaics.
The square, as we see it today, began to take shape in 1063 when construction of the Cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta began thanks to the riches obtained after the looting of Palermo against the Saracens.
Construction of the Baptistry and Bell Tower, known across the world as the leaning tower, began roughly one year later whilst work on the Monumental Camposanto (Holy Field) commenced later in 1273.
All four buildings in the square were completed by the end of the 15th Century.
One of the unique characteristics of this area is the stark contract between the white marble buildings and the green lawn that covers the majority of the square and it is this particularity that gives this area its second and arguably more famous name: The field of Miracles.
It was the poet Gabriele D’Annunzio who coined this definition after referring to the 4 splendid medieval building as ‘miracles’ both for their aesthetic beauty and their ability to challenge the laws of physics by surviving over the centuries regardless of the structural complications.
As you can observe it is not only the tower but also the Baptistry and the cathedral that are sloped owing to the unstable composition of the foundations on which they were built and therefore it is rather incredible that we are still able to admire these buildings today thanks to the ingenuity of man and the hand of God.
It does not seem by chance therefore that one of the main architects involved in the construction of these buildings was named Diotisalvi, which literally translated means ‘God saves you’.