Cathedral of Città di Castello
The cathedral of Città di Castello or the cathedral basilica of St. Floridus and St. Amanzius ( Italian Basilica Cattedrale di Ss. Florido e Amanzio ) is the cathedral of the city of Città di Castello and the archbishopric of the same name in the Italian region of Umbria . The church, which dates back to the 7th century, is consecrated to the city patron bishop Floridus and Amanzius, and from immemorabili it bears the title of a minor basilica .
history
The city's first cathedral dedicated to St. Stephen was destroyed by Totila's Gothic army in the middle of the 6th century . The new building was built on the initiative of Bishop Floridus and was dedicated to St. Consecrated to Lawrence of Rome . Due to the ongoing decline, the cathedral was restored in the first half of the 11th century and dedicated to St. Floridus, the patron saint of the city. In 1450, the crypt of the church, which was built during this period, housed the relics of Saints Floridus and Amanzius. Finally, a new restoration, begun due to an earthquake in 1494, led to a new consecration on August 22, 1529: on that occasion the patronage of St. Amanzius added. The 16th century dome, which collapsed after a second earthquake, was rebuilt at the end of the 18th century according to plans by Tommaso Catrani.
description
The church, built over centuries, shows the different styles of these epochs. On the outside, the 17th century entrance façade is unfinished, while the north side is decorated by a rich Gothic portal with bas-reliefs from the first half of the 14th century, in front of which an 18th century staircase by Venanzio Righi climbs. The church is flanked by a round, Romanesque bell tower in the Ravenna style (13th century), which rises 43.5 meters.
The interior of the basilica, in Renaissance style, has a Latin cross plan with a single nave with a 17th century coffered ceiling and side chapels. Among them are: the Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament from the end of the seventeenth century by Nicola Barbioni; the Chapel of St. Paul, which houses the fresco by Pomarancio depicting the conversion on the road to Damascus. In the choir there are frescoes depicting episodes from the life of St. Floridus, while the wooden choir stalls date from the end of the 16th century and were created by Raffaellino del Colle . The high altar dates from the end of the eighteenth century and is a reconstruction of the previous one, which was destroyed by the dome that collapsed in an earthquake.
A staircase leads to the crypt, also called the lower church (from the 15th century), in which the relics of the cathedral's patron saints are kept. The crypt holds the skull of St. Crescentianus of Città di Castello and also the statue of the Black Madonna by Città di Castello. A peculiarity of this Madonna is that instead of holding the baby Jesus in her arms, she holds another, smaller woman in her left hand who is holding a ball in her hand; In addition, the Madonna wears a crown on her head that resembles a tiara . The church houses other notable works by Rosso Fiorentino and Tommaso Conca . The adjoining cathedral museum houses important early Christian liturgical objects from the 5th and 6th centuries, other medieval sacred furnishings and a Madonna by Pinturicchio .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Floridus
- ^ Basilica Cattedrale di Ss. Florido e Amanzio on gcatholic.org
- ↑ Chiesa dei Santi Florido e Amanzio (Italian)
Coordinates: 43 ° 27 '25.9 " N , 12 ° 14' 15.7" E