Lanciano Cathedral

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Lanciano Cathedral with Campanile
Side view with bridge
inner space

The Cathedral of Lanciano , or the Madonna del Ponte cathedral is a church in Lanciano in the Italian province of Chieti . The cathedral of the Archdiocese of Lanciano-Ortona is dedicated to the Virgin Mary as Santa Maria del Ponte (Eng .: Saint Mary of the Bridge ). It has the rank of a minor basilica and was designated a national monument in 1902 .

history

The peculiarity of this church lies in its construction on three arches of a Roman bridge that was built under Diocletian . In 1088, during the reconstruction work on the bridge after an earthquake, a statue of the Madonna and Child was discovered, which was named Madonna of the Bridge. The statue was an 8th century Byzantine icon that was likely hidden in an arch of the bridge during iconoclasm . The citizens of Lanciano decided in 1389 to build a church in honor of the Madonna. It was initially called Oratorio di Maria Santissima del Ponte (German: Oratorio of the Most Holy Mary of the Bridge) and was later renamed Santa Maria delle Grazie (German: Holy Mary of Grace). Around 1610, today's campanile was built by Tommaso Sotardo from Milan to the left of the entrance and later received five bells.

In the 18th century, the previous building was demolished and the cathedral was completely rebuilt according to a design by Carlo Fantoni under the direction of Eugenio Micchitelli, although the dimensions of the bridge remained similar. Its facade was started in 1819, but the upper part was never completed. In February 1909 Pope Pius X raised the church to the status of a minor basilica. The church was renovated between 1942 and 1943.

description

The cathedral has a single nave and a cylindrical dome rises above the chancel . Pilasters with Corinthian capitals support the barrel vault on all the walls . Two pairs of niches in the two walls are equipped with huge statues of saints by Giacinto Diano , depicting the saints Jerome , Augustine and Ambrosius as well as the prophet Habakkuk . There are classical altars with paintings on the side walls . Three of them also have niches with statues of saints. On the right side of the nave is the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament. The stucco score is by Alessandro Terzani, which shows the transition from the baroque of the late eighteenth century to the early classical style. The choir has a majestic polychrome marble altar with the original statue of the Virgin of the Bridge in the center and two side paintings. The vault frescos are again the work of the Neapolitan painter Giacinto Diano. The facade has a portico that is covered by the balustrade. The outer walls are made of brick.

After an earthquake in 1985, the sanctuary was adapted to the rules prescribed by the Second Vatican Council during the most recent restorations . In 1996 a new altar was consecrated, in 1997 an ambo with a marble eagle by the sculptor Vito Pancella from Lanciano and in 1999 a baptismal font was set up near the chancel.

museum

The interior of the cathedral was also adorned with many other works such as statues, canvases, monumental gilded wooden candelabra and crystal chandeliers before 2002. The chandeliers were lost in 1943, while the other works of great interest were transferred to the collection of the Diocesan Museum . Among these works is also the "Treasure of the Virgin of the Bridge", which takes up an entire room of the museum, consisting of the gilded quilt of the Madonna, the ceremonial bishop's robes, the sacred objects and the gold and diamond offerings of the noble Lancianos families, the finely crafted metal liturgical vestments and the votive offerings to the Madonna.

Web links

Commons : Lanciano Cathedral  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Elenco degli edIERTi Monumentali in Italia. In: Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione. 1902, Retrieved February 11, 2020 (Italian).
  2. ↑ Storia della cathedral. Retrieved February 11, 2020 (Italian).
  3. ^ Basilica Cattedrale della Madonna del Ponte on gcatholic.org
  4. ↑ Descrizione. Retrieved February 11, 2020 (Italian).

Coordinates: 42 ° 13 ′ 50.6 ″  N , 14 ° 23 ′ 27.6 ″  E