MO 



SIENNA 



SIERRA LEONE 



three arches was not linished until 1380 ; it is partly 

 pointed, partly round -arched, and is etiiirheil with 

 red, white, and black marbles, gilding, and many 

 sculptures. A fire did considerable damage to the 

 exterior in 1890. A lofty square campanile stands 

 on the south side. The art treasures of the interior 

 embrace the wonderful octagonal pulpit hv Niccolo 

 IVano (I'-tiS). similar to the one at Pisa; the 

 marble mosaic lloor of the cathedral, from designs 

 by Buoninsegna and Bcccafumi ; the series of 

 frescoes commemorative of the life of I'ope Pius II., 

 by I'liitui icchio, in the Piccolomiui Library, where 



Cathedral t Sienna. 



also are preserved several choir books splendidly 

 illuminated by Siennese artiste ; the celebrated font 

 ( 1428), with iMH-relieh by Donatello, Delia Quercia, 

 and other sculptors, in the church of San (Jiovanni, 

 situated beneath the cathedral. The churches of 

 Sant' Agostino, the Servites, San Domenico, anil 

 some others contain pictures by Sodoma, Matteo 

 di Ciov.-iiini, and other Siennese artiste. The greatly 

 venerated church of St Catharine (q.v., a native 

 of this city) stands on the site of her former dwell- 

 ing house ; and not far away is the fountain of 

 Fontcbraiida, celebrated by I)anli>. The municipal 

 palace, a magnificent cdilice of brick in the Pointed 

 Cothic style, begun in 12H8 and finished in 1309, is 

 adorned on tin- exterior by a lofty tower (1325), 

 and contains numerous paintings by Siennese artiste. 

 Then 1 are several nolile palaces, as the Piccolomini, 

 Tolomei, Monte .I.'' I'aschi. Loggia del Papa, some 

 dating from the l.'lili century, ami some now put to 

 various public lives. The more noteworthy of the 

 public institutions an; the university, with tkoultiM 



of i licinc and law (less than lso students), 



fonndi-d ill I2O.'I; the state archives and the town 

 library: and an Institute of Fine Arte (1810), 

 sheltering ! .n its gallery many line pictures by 

 masters of tln> Sicnnc-e school, tl> piincip.-il of whom 

 are Biioninsegna. the brother- Lmrn/ctti, Simone 

 di Martino, Matteo di Ciovanni, Peni/./.i. Sodoma 

 (l>a/./,i), and llcccafumi. The city ban also given 

 birth to a host of other illustrious men, OH .-Eneas 

 I'i' i-olomini (l'o|>c Pius II.), (Jigli (a scholar and 

 a humorist), Bernardino Uehino. the two Socini 

 (founders of SiK-inianism ), and the architects 



Agnolo, Agostino, and Delia yuercia. Every July 

 (2d) and August (16th) celebrated horseraces are 

 field in the in.-u ki't place, Ix'iii^' the survival of still 

 more widely celeliiated popUV festivals of the- 

 middle ages. The inhabitants, 28,500 in IK!* 1 -', 

 weave silk, mamif.icturc cloth and hate, and cany 

 on an active trade in wine and olive-oil. Sienna is 

 the seat of an archbishop. 



Shortly lieforc or after the establishment of the 

 Koman empire Sienna was made a Hornnn colony 

 under the name of .SV/ Jnltii. Alter the empire 

 was broken up the city soon formed itself into a 

 free republic, governed by consuls, 

 and grew so much in power and pros- 

 perity that it became the head of the 

 (ihilicllinc towns in Central Italy. 

 During this period (the 12th and Kith 

 centuries) it had a dangerous rival in 

 Florence, but indicted a crushing 

 defeat upon the Florentine militia at 

 Montaperto in 1260. A century later, 

 however, when hard pressed by Flor- 

 ence, the Siennese put theinsel\es 

 (1399) under the protection of the 

 Duke of Milan. Nevertheless hos- 

 tilities were frequently renewed with 

 their powerful rival during the 15th 

 century. Between 1487 and 1512 the 

 virtual ruler of Sienna was Pandolfo 

 Petrucci, called the Magnificent, who 

 aimed at founding a dynasty in his 

 native citv similar to that of the 

 Medici in Florence; but his descend- 

 ants were not the men to realise his 

 ambitions, and in 1524 the people, to 

 escape from the dominion of the Pet- 

 rucci, put themselves under the su/e- 

 rainty of the Emperor Charles V. Yet 

 soon afterwards the city revolted and 

 called in the French to its aid ; but it 

 and its ally were defeated ami Sienna 

 itself besieged (1555) and taken. The 

 emperor then gave it to Cosimo de* 

 Medici ( 1557 ), who annexed it to Flor- 

 ence, and subsequently incorporated 

 it in the grand-duchy of Tuscany (q.v.). The pro- 

 riiirf of Sienna has an area of 1477 sq. in. and a 

 mp. (1889) of 222,104. For Sienna Earth, see 

 UBHT SlKNNA. 



Sierra, the name applied in Spain and in 

 Spanish-speaking countries to a range of moun- 

 tains. It is usually derived from the Latin term, 

 'a saw," but more probably comes from the Arabic 

 se/trafi, 'a desert place,' whence also Sahara. 



Sierra Leone, a British colony -since 1888 a 

 separate and distinct colony on the west coast of 

 Africa, stretching ISO miles along the coast, from 

 the French colony of Rivieres du Sud in the north 

 to Liberia in the south, with an area of 4000 sq. m. 

 I including the. Los, the Banana, Tasso, and Sherbro 

 islands). In 1896 a hinterland of 40,000 w|. m. was 

 priM-laimed a protectorate, and was organised after 

 the troubles about the hut-tax in IS'.is (which for 

 a time caused some ivnxicty). The name Sierra 

 Leone is more strictly confined to a densely wooded 

 l'iiinsula. 'J(! miles long by 12 broad, jutting out 

 to (he N\V., just south of the Sierra Leone (i.e. 

 the river Uokelle) estuary, which rises to 3000 

 fed in Sugar Loaf Mountain. The climate i 

 very hot anil very moist. The rains last from 

 April to Doccnibpr, and the annual rainfall ranges 

 from 144 to 170 inches. The thermometer n 

 lH-twcen M:~> ami I00-"i" F. The low 1\ in^' ilistricte 

 are infested with a good deal of fever and malaria ; 

 but the higher parts are Comparatively healthy. 

 Sierra Leone is often called the 'White Man's 

 Crave ; ' but the title would be just as appropriate 



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