Bergamo Cathedral
The Bergamo's cathedral or the St. Alexander Cathedral ( Italian Perugia Cathedral Alessandro ) is a church in the Lombard city of Bergamo . The cathedral of the eponymous diocese is dedicated to St. Alexander consecrated as city patron . It was named a national monument in 1940 and a minor basilica in 1998 .
history
prehistory
After excavations at the beginning of the 21st century, the oldest church buildings on the site of today's cathedral date from the 5th century, the others follow in the layers of settlement above. The Christian slaves who came to the region with the mining industry settled in what is now Bergamo after their release. Their poor congregations chose St. Vincent of Valencia, a martyr, as the patron saint of their diaconate, and the first cathedral was also dedicated to him. The pre-Romanesque building had three naves 25 meters wide and 45 meters long, corresponding to today's church. The oldest mention in a document is from 690.
Today's cathedral
In the middle of the 15th century, Bishop Giovanni Barozzi decided to rebuild the cathedral on the old foundation walls. He commissioned the Florentine architect Filarete to build the now single-nave church on the plan of a Latin cross. The foundation stone was laid in 1459, and the first side chapel on the left was completed in 1467. But after Barozzi was appointed Patriarch of Venice and his imminent death in 1466 and Filartes' death in 1469, construction was interrupted for a long time. In 1611 the architect Vincenzo Scamozzi was entrusted with work again, but it was not until 1689 that the existing parts of the building were renovated by Carlo Fontana , who raised the dome, lengthened the apse and finally finished the work in 1693.
In the meantime, the nearby St. Alexander Cathedral had been demolished in 1561 for the construction of the Venetian city wall, and the remains of St. Alexander were transferred to St. Vincent and the two chapters merged. The church was consecrated in 1704 with the transfer of the relics of the city patron and other saints from Bergamo St. Alexander. The side chapel of the choir is dedicated to St. Vincent, it is by Bartolomeo Manni with the altarpiece by Carlo Ceresa. The Cathedral Museum allows you to visit the remains of the early church and its transformation.
The building underwent further changes in the course of the 19th century, affecting both the bell tower, the dome, the crucifix chapel and the interior. The facade, which was built on August 26, 1889, the day of the feast of St. Alexander, was consecrated.
Building
The cathedral's facade was built from white marble by Angelo Bonicelli between 1866 and 1889. A red granite staircase from Boveno leads up from the Piazza del Duomo. In the lower part the three arches of the portico are supported by columns. The side aisles of the portico are decorated with a small dome, which are frescoed on the inside and each overlooked by a bronze statue on the outside. The upper part of the facade is gable-shaped, with a large rectangular window framed between two Corinthian columns; The conclusion is a triangular tympanum.
The dome , completed in 1829 and subjected to static restoration in 1853, stands next to the transept. It has a high drum with square windows and a copper roof, over which there is a statue of Carlo Broggi depicting St. Alexander as standard bearer (1851). Under the portico of the Palazzo della Ragione is the entrance to the archaeological area, which depicts the different phases of the basilica's history since the early Christian era.
To the left of the apse is the bell tower, which was built in 1690 and raised in 1850. The bell tower opens on each of the four sides of the bell tower with a large round lancet window and houses a chime with six bells.
In the apse of the choir , a mural by Tiepolo from 1745 shows the martyrdom of Bishop San Giovanni. The choir stalls from 1695 are decorated with elaborate carvings.
In the Cappella del Crocifisso (Chapel of the Cross) on the north side of the nave, a crucifix from the 16th century is kept. It serves as a sacrament chapel.
Episcopal sarcophagi rest in the crypt under the choir . A plaque shows 84 bishops of Bergamo beginning with St. Narnus (4th century) and St. Viator (343-344) through 2009.
View into the dome of the cathedral
The Chapel of the Cross
The bishop's crypt under the choir
From the right transept you get to the chapel of St. Pope John XXIII with a bronze statue and relics of the Pope.
Bronze statue of John XXIII.
Relics of John XXIII
organ
There are several organs in the cathedral. The main organ was built from 2009 to 2010 by the organ builder Pietro Corna. Pipe material and also the console of the previous organ from 1943, built by the organ builder Balbiani-Vegezzi Bossi, were reused in the instrument. The instrument can be played from two gaming tables.
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Web links
- Cathedral website (Italian)
- Chiesa di San Allessandro Martire on BeWeB (Italian)
- Visit of the cathedral on BeWeB (Italian)
Individual evidence
- ^ Regio Decreto November 21, 1940, n. 1746 (Italian)
- ^ Basilica Cattedrale di S. Alessandro in Colonna on gcatholic.org
- ↑ La Cattedrale Oggi (Italian)
- ^ Bruno Caccia, L'antica cattedrale di San Vincenzo martire in Bergamo, Bergamo, Bolis edizioni, 2015.
- ↑ Information about the organ (Italian)
Coordinates: 45 ° 42 ′ 12 " N , 9 ° 39 ′ 47" E