I went straight to Wikipedia for this. Their article [David (Michelangelo)][1] states: > David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 > and 1504, by the Italian artist Michelangelo. It is a 5.17-metre (17.0 > ft)[1] marble statue of a standing male nude. The statue represents > the Biblical hero David, a favoured subject in the art of Florence. > Originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of prophets to > be **positioned along the roofline of the east end of Florence > Cathedral**, the statue was instead placed in a public square, outside > the Palazzo della Signoria, the seat of civic government in Florence, > where it was unveiled on 8 September 1504. > > Because of the nature of the hero that it represented, it soon came to > symbolize the defense of civil liberties embodied in the Florentine > Republic, an independent city-state threatened on all sides by more > powerful rival states and by the hegemony of the Medici family. The > eyes of David, with a warning glare, were turned towards Rome. **The > statue was moved to the Accademia Gallery in Florence in 1873, and > later replaced at the original location by a replica.** So although you could see a replica at the Florence Cathedral, the real deal is currently at the Accademia Gallery, where it has stood since 1873. [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_%28Michelangelo%29