![Duomo di Civita Castellana 06 - Portale centrale 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Duomo_di_Civita_Castellana_06_-_Portale_centrale_1.JPG)
Civita Castellana Cathedral ( it, Cattedrale di Santa Maria Maggiore or ''Santa Maria di Pozzano'') is a
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
Civita Castellana
Civita Castellana is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Viterbo, north of Rome.
Mount Soracte lies about to the south-east.
History
Civita Castellana was settled during the Iron Age by the Italic people of the Falisci, who called it "F ...
, central
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. It is the episcopal seat of the
Diocese of Civita Castellana
The Diocese of Civita Castellana ( la, Dioecesis Civitatis Castellanae) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Latium, central Italy. It has existed in the current form since 1986, when the Diocese of Ne ...
.
History
The edifice was built from around 1185, over a pre-existing church, and was completed with the construction of the portico in 1210. The latter saw the intervention of the Roman
Cosmati
The Cosmati were a Roman family, seven members of which, for four generations, were skilful architects, sculptors and workers in decorative geometric mosaic, mostly for church floors. Their name is commemorated in the genre of Cosmatesque work ...
family of architects and marble workers.
After centuries of decay, in the 18th century the church was totally restored and the interior was renovated in
Baroque style. The two aisles were turned into side chapels, communicating with each other, thus keeping only a single nave. A plaque on the building's exterior commemorates
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
's sojourn in Civita Castellana on 17 July 1770: he also played the cathedral's organ in the Sunday mass of that day.
Description
Exterior
The church is preceded by a 13th-century portico, in whose
architrave was once a mosaic frieze with gilded letters. Today only a few fragments of the latter can be seen. Two central piers support a rounded arch, in which is the writing “Gloria in excelsis Deo…”, while another inscription at the top contains the name of the portico's designer, "IACOBUS CIVIS ROMANUS" ("James, citizen of
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
") and the date of execution (1210). The central and final piers of the portico are decorated with the marble symbols of the
Four Evangelists, while in the middle of the arch is a lamb, symbolizing Jesus Christ.
The cathedral has three entrance gates. The central one is sided by four
Corinthian columns, two of which stand on marble lions. Under the right lion is the representation of a child, a symbol of the faithful entering the church. The lunettes over the side gates have
Cosmatesque
Cosmatesque, or Cosmati, is a style of geometric decorative inlay stonework typical of the architecture of Medieval Italy, and especially of Rome and its surroundings. It was used most extensively for the decoration of church floors, but was also u ...
mosaic decorations; the right lunette has also the representation of the "Blessing Christ".
The cathedral has a
Romanesque bell tower.
Interior
The church has a single nave, with side chapels which communicate with each other. The nave ends in a
transept
A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building wi ...
which precedes the raised
presbytery, under which is the
crypt.
In the transept's arms are two monumental Baroque altars: the right one is dedicated to the Madonna of the Light, and incorporates an 11th-century fresco; the left-hand altar is dedicated to the Madonna of the Rosary, and has a 16th-century canvas surrounded by 15 panels, depicting the mystery of the
rosary.
![Duomo di Civita Castellana 23 - Oratorio pluteo 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Duomo_di_Civita_Castellana_23_-_Oratorio_pluteo_1.JPG)
The presbytery is home to one of the most precious works of art in the church, the high altar. It consists of a 4th-century Roman-Palaeochristian
sarcophagus with seven niches which are decorated by biblical episodes. At the end of the presbytery, over the wooden choir, is a canvas by
Pietro Nelli
Pietro Nelli (1672 – after 1730) was an Italian painter of the late- Baroque period.
He was born in Massa, where he had been a pupil of Giovanni Maria Morandi in Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, ...
(''Annunciation''), while at the sides are two frescoes of the '' Resurrection of John'' and the ''Martyrdom of Sts. John and Marcianus''.
A door on the left side of the presbytery leads to the oratory of Mary's Heart, built as a chapel in the 14th century. This houses important medieval works including:
*several 12th-century frescoes depicting a Madonna with Saints, an Angel and other Saints
*the front section of an early Middle Ages (9th-century) sarcophagus with representations of hunting scenes
*two Cosmatesque
parapet
A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...
s flanked by two lions, originally in the cathedral's presbytery, dated to c. 1231-1240.
Under the presbytery is the crypt, with cross-vaults, dating to the 12th century but renewed later. It houses two Renaissance marble
cyboria, originally in the presbytery but walled here during the 18th-century renovation works.
Sources
*
*
External links
Page at www.medioevo.org, with detailed images
{{Coord, 42, 17, 14.5, N, 12, 24, 38.2, E, source:itwiki_type:landmark_region:IT, display=title
Churches completed in 1210
12th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy
Civita Castellana
Civita Castellana is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Viterbo, north of Rome.
Mount Soracte lies about to the south-east.
History
Civita Castellana was settled during the Iron Age by the Italic people of the Falisci, who called it "F ...
Churches in the province of Viterbo
Cathedrals in Lazio
Romanesque architecture in Lazio