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Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore was founded by the Florentine Republic in 1296 with the participation of the city’s ecclesiastical authorities to oversee the construction of the new Cathedral and its Bell Tower. Once the church was consecrated on 25 March 1436 and its architectural structure was complete, Opera’s primary task became the conservation and embellishment of its monumental complex. The Baptistery of San Giovanni came under its jurisdiction in 1777 and the Opera del Duomo Museum was inaugurated in 1891. Today the Opera, as a “Fabbriceria”, is subject to the Concordat Law of 1929 by the means of which every three years the Minister of the Interior appoints a new Board of Directors composed of seven members, who elect the President from among themselves. Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore has been legally recognised as a not-for-profit organisation (ONLUS) since 1998. It is regulated by its own statute that defines among its institutional objectives the "protection, promotion and enhancement of its artistic heritage”.