Savona Cathedral
The Cathedral of Savona or the Assumption Cathedral ( Italian Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta ) is a church in Savona in the Italian Riviera . The cathedral of the diocese of Savona-Noli has the rank of a minor basilica . The baroque church from the beginning of the 17th century is located in the heart of the old town.
history
In 1528 Savona had surrendered to the Genoese troops who had conquered the city and occupied the oldest part of the city on Priamar Hill. In the years that followed, the Genoese built an imposing fortress on this site, systematically tearing down all the old buildings.The cathedral from the 9th century was first desecrated and incorporated and finally demolished in 1595, and essential parts of the furnishings were saved. After Pope Paul IV had elevated the monastery church of San Francesco to a cathedral in 1559, construction of the current building began in 1589 and was completed in 1605. The cloister of the old monastery is preserved on the left side of the current cathedral. In June 1816 she was raised to the rank of minor basilica.
architecture
The cathedral was probably designed by Battista Sormano. The three-aisled basilica is 61 meters long, 39 meters wide and has the plan of a Latin cross. The vaults of the central nave and transept are barrel vaults , those of the side aisles are cross vaults . The bell tower was completed on the right in 1613. The portal dates from 1776, with a group of the Assumption of the Abbot Giovanni Antonio Cybei, which was later incorporated into the neo-baroque facade by Guglielmo Calderini, created between 1881 and 1886 . The last construction work was to raise the lantern in 1929.
Furnishing
On the inside of the entrance a fresco by Coghetti shows Jesus driving the traders out of the temple, Coghett also created the frescoes of the vault, the choir and the dome. From the main entrance there is a marble crucifix from the 15th century on the right and a baptismal font on the left, both of which come from a Byzantine capital from the 6th century and were in the old cathedral of Savona. In front of the crucifix is an imposing Renaissance chair, a gift from Julius II to the former Franciscan Church.
The right aisle includes several chapels: in the first there is the apparition of the Virgin Mary in Savona del Ratti, in the second the Sacred Heart of Paolo Gerolamo Brusco, in the third the Madonna with Child and Angels, the dream of Jacob of the Roman Painter Giovanni Baglione and Abraham with the Angels by Giovanni Lanfranco from Parma . Below is the door to the cloister, above which there is a gilded wooden gallery from which Pius VII watched the services during Napoleon's imprisonment in Savona (1809–1812). In the fourth chapel is the monument to Bishop Righetti di Renata Cuneo. The transept chapel is dominated by the 17th century altar dedicated to the dead, while in the chapel to the right of the choir you can see an altarpiece from the 16th century and some grave monuments of prelates.
The high altar dates from 1765, surmounted by an octagonal ciborium by Orazio Grassi . On the walls there are two large paintings by Coghetti depicting Pope Julius II at the start of construction of St. Peter's Basilica and Pope Sixtus IV at the blessing of the fleet against the Turks. The inlaid choir stalls carved between 1500 and 1521 are of particular importance . The pulpit of the old cathedral dates from the first half of the 16th century and is hexagonal in shape.
In the left aisle, in the first chapel, there is an altarpiece from the 17th century depicting Saint Francis of Paola and frescoes by Brusco. In the second chapel there is an altarpiece of the Adoration of the Magi by the Genoese Bernardo Castello and in the third chapel the Martyrdom of St. Ursula by another artist from Genoa, Giovanni Battista Paggi . The side door is surmounted by the 14th century tympanum of the old cathedral. The fourth chapel shows a medieval fresco of the Madonna della Colonna, which was replaced in 1601 by a column of the old church of San Francesco, which was demolished. Finally, in the transept chapel is the baroque altar (1663) of Our Lady of Mercy and in the chapel to the left of the choir is the altar of the Martyrdom of St. Stephen and the urn with the skeleton of Blessed Ottaviano, Bishop of Savona from 1117 to 1128, who foretold the apparition of Mary.
The cathedral keeps some relics of St. Valentin , the patron saint of lovers.
organ
In the choir which was behind the high altar and the wooden choir stalls in 1935 Mascioni - organ opus 476 installed. The instrument, which is housed in the case of the previous instrument from the 18th century, is electrically controlled and has three manuals and a concave-radial pedal.
Web links
- Cathedral website (Italian)
- Chiesa di Nostra Signora Assunta (Savona) on BeWeB (Italian)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Cattedrale di Nostra Signora Assunta on gcatholic.org
Coordinates: 44 ° 18 '27.7 " N , 8 ° 28' 57.4" E