Belluno Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Belluno, Basilica cattedrale di San Martino) is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

in the historic centre of the city of Belluno,

Veneto it, Veneto (man) it, Veneta (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

, Italy, dedicated to Saint Martin. It is the episcopal seat of the diocese of Belluno-Feltre. It was elevated to the status of a

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

on 18 June 1980 by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

Construction

The present cathedral stands on the site of a palaeo-Christian church. A subsequent church dedicated to Saint Martin and built in around in 850 is documented. The present building was built between 1517 and 1624, to plans by the architect Tullio Lombardo, in the style of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

. The cupola was completed only in 1756. The campanile dates from the 18th century and is by

Filippo Juvarra Filippo is an Italian language, Italian male given name, which is the equivalent of the English language, English name Philip (name), Philip, from the Greek language, Greek ''Philippos'', meaning "amante dei cavalli".''Behind the Name''"Given Name ...

Description

Exterior

The unfinished west front is of stone, divided vertically into three, between two lower wings. The lower part contains a rich Baroque portal and two Gothic windows, while the upper part, terminating in a tympanum which rests on an entablature delineated by

lesene A lesene, also called a pilaster strip, is an architectural term for a narrow, low-relief vertical pillar on a wall. It resembles a pilaster, but does not have a base or capital. It is typical in Lombardic and Rijnlandish architectural building ...

, contains a central rose window, the glass of which depicts figures of Saint Gioatà, Saint Lucanus and Saint Martin.

Interior

The interior of the cathedral, majestic in appearance, has Renaissance lines even if the height of the pilasters tends more to the Gothic. There are three naves of six spans. The presbytery has triple rows of stalls. The cupola is airy and light. The semi-circular

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

contains a fresco by Antonio Ermolao Paoletti of a triumphal

Assumption Assumption, in Christianity, refers to the Assumption of Mary, a belief in the taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Assumption may also refer to: Places * Assumption, Alberta, Canada * Assumption, Illinois, United States ** Assumption Tow ...

. Among the works by distinguished artists kept in the cathedral, two paintings by

Gaspare Diziani Gaspare Diziani (1689 – 17 August 1767) was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque or Roccoco period, active mainly in the Veneto but also in Dresden and Munich. The artist's canvas is the largest painting of the Hermitage Museum in St. Peters ...

stand out for the complexity of their composition: Saints

Charles Borromeo Charles Borromeo ( it, Carlo Borromeo; la, Carolus Borromeus; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was the Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584 and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation combat ...

Francis de Sales Francis de Sales (french: François de Sales; it, Francesco di Sales; 21 August 156728 December 1622) was a Bishop of Geneva and is revered as a saint in the Catholic Church. He became noted for his deep faith and his gentle approach to ...

, Cajetan and

Andrew Avellino Andrew (Andrea) Avellino (1521 – 10 November 1608) was an Italian Theatine priest. He is venerated as patron saint of Naples and Sicily and invoked especially against a sudden death. He led a life busy in preaching, hearing confessions, and v ...

and the

Conversion of St Paul The conversion of Paul the Apostle (also the Pauline conversion, Damascene conversion, Damascus Christophany and the "road to Damascus" event) was, according to the New Testament, an event in the life of Saul/Paul the Apostle that led him to cea ...

. An altar in the northern nave is decorated by a painting by

Egidio Dall'Oglio Egidio is an Italian masculine given name. People with the name include: Given name * Egidio (saint) (circa 650–710), Christian hermit saint * Egidio Colonna, Giles of Rome (circa 1243–1316), European intellectual, archbishop * Egidio da Viterb ...

depicting the

Holy Family The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on, but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the fir ...

. The organ, dating from 1946, is by Mascioni.

Campanile

The Baroque campanile, built between 1732 and 1743, stands at the exit from the sacristy. It was designed by the Messinese architect

. Including the angel on the top it is 67.35

metre The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

s high. The angel, of wood covered in copper, by Andrea Brustolon, is 4.63 metres high.

Sources and external links

Diocesan website: Belluno Cathedral

{{coord, 46.1377, 12.2170, type:landmark_region:IT, display=title Roman Catholic cathedrals in Italy Cathedrals in Veneto Minor basilicas in Veneto Churches in the province of Belluno 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1624 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Renaissance architecture in Veneto Belluno 1624 establishments in Italy