The Cathedral of Sansepolcro (Italian: ''Duomo di Sansepolcro''; officially a co-cathedral) is a Catholic church in

Sansepolcro Sansepolcro, formerly Borgo Santo Sepolcro, is a town and ''comune'' founded in the 11th century, located in the Italian Province of Arezzo in the eastern part of the region of Tuscany. Situated on the upper reaches of the Tiber river, the town ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

, 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 re ...

History

According to tradition, the foundations of the cathedral dates to the 9th century, when two natives of the region who had been pilgrims in the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

, Arcanus and Giles (or Egidio and Arcano), returned and settled on the site. There they built a chapel dedicated to

Saint Leonard Leonard of Noblac (also Leonard of Limoges or Leonard of Noblet; also known as Lienard, Linhart, Leonhard, Léonard, Leonardo, Annard; died 559), is a Frankish saint closely associated with the town and abbey of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, in Haut ...

and established a monastic way of life. They had brought a stone from the

Church of the Holy Sepulcher The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, hy, Սուրբ Հարության տաճար, la, Ecclesia Sancti Sepulchri, am, የቅዱስ መቃብር ቤተክርስቲያን, he, כנסיית הקבר, ar, كنيسة القيامة is a church i ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

(thus, ''San Sepolcro'') with them from that shrine, leading it to become a popular

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

site. The first historical mention of a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery, dedicated to the Holy Sepulcher and the Four Evangelists, is documented as of 1012; the Abbey of Sansepolcro. The church was constructed in 1012–1049, initially dedicated to the Four Evangelists and the

Holy Sepulchre The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, hy, Սուրբ Հարության տաճար, la, Ecclesia Sancti Sepulchri, am, የቅዱስ መቃብር ቤተክርስቲያን, he, כנסיית הקבר, ar, كنيسة القيامة is a church i ...

(deriving from Sansepolcro's name). The monastery was declared an

abbey nullius A territorial abbey (or territorial abbacy) is a particular church of the Catholic Church comprising defined territory which is not part of a diocese but surrounds an abbey or monastery whose abbot or superior functions as ordinary for all Ca ...

. A commune began to develop around the abbey due to its being declared a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

in 1038 by the Emperor

Conrad II Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms ...

. During the 12th century, the monastery, a holder of numerous properties around central Italy in its own right, elected to be incorporated into the Camaldolese Order, based in the region. The monastic chapter soon (13th century) tore down the original chapel and built a large Romanesque-style church, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist (the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of the city) to serve its spiritual needs. In 1520, the monastic community was suppressed and the abbey nullius was promoted by the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

to the rank of a regular

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

, for which the abbey church was declared the

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 denomination ...

Pope Leo X Pope Leo X ( it, Leone X; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521. Born into the prominent political an ...

established the

diocese of Sansepolcro The Roman Catholic diocese of Sansepolcro was a Latin rite see in Tuscany, central Italy.

, with the church becoming its cathedral; the cathedral was re-dedicated to the city's patron, St. John the Evangelist. The first

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

appointed to lead the diocese was the last

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

of the abbey,

Galeotto Graziani Galeotto Graziani, O.Cam. (1450(?) – 15 April 1522), was an Italian monk of the Camaldolese Order and Roman Catholic prelate who served as the first Bishop of Sansepolcro (1520–1522).episcopal palace for the diocese stands on the site of the former monastery and its

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

, still with 15th-century frescoes depicting the life of

St. Benedict Benedict of Nursia ( la, Benedictus Nursiae; it, Benedetto da Norcia; 2 March AD 480 – 21 March AD 548) was an Christianity in Italy, Italian Christian monk, writer, and theologian who is venerated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Ortho ...

, as well as the tomb of the artist

Piero della Francesca Piero della Francesca (, also , ; – 12 October 1492), originally named Piero di Benedetto, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. To contemporaries he was also known as a mathematician and geometer. Nowadays Piero della Francesca i ...

, a native of the city. Large restoration works were carried on between 1934 and 1943, destroying most of the Baroque elements added in the course of the centuries to the original medieval edifice. Several frescoes by the Riminese school and by

Bartolomeo della Gatta Bartolomeo della Gatta (1448–1502), born Pietro di Antonio Dei, was an Italian (Florentine) painter, illuminator, and architect. He was the son of a goldsmith. He was a colleague of Fra Bartolommeo. In 1468, Bartolomeo became a monk in the O ...

(14th-15th centuries) become visible again, and a new chapel, called ''Cappella del Volto Santo'', was added to house the so-called "Holy Face" icon, previously located at the altar. A new choir was built in 1966–1967. The church became a co-cathedral with the merge of the dioceses of Arezzo, Sansepolcro and Cortona in 1986.

Description

With the exception of the apse area, the church has maintained the 14th century basilica plan with a nave and two aisles. Romanesque elements include the internal round arcades, the capitals and the general proportions. More influenced by Gothic (a style which was becoming widespread when the church was being built) are the portal of the façade and window above. The

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' w ...

is the result of a later restoration. Originally the church should receive a more elongated Gothic polygonal apse, replaced by a bell tower influenced by

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

n similar structures. Works of art in the interior include the ''Incredulity of St. Thomas'' by

Santi di Tito Santi di Tito (5 December 1536 – 25 July 1603) was one of the most influential and leading Italian painters of the proto-Baroque style – what is sometimes referred to as "Counter-Maniera" or Counter-Mannerism. Biography He was born in Flor ...

(1576–1577), a ''Crucifixion'' fresco by

(1486), an ''Adoration of the Shepherd'' by

Durante Alberti Durante Alberti (c. 1556 – 1623) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance period. He was born in Borgo San Sepolcro. He was active mainly in his native town and Rome, where he arrived during the papacy of Gregory XIII. He was also called ...

and, at the high altar, the ''Resurrection Polyptych'' by Niccolò di Segna (c. 1348). At the left aisle is the so-called ''

Sansepolcro Altarpiece The ''Ascension of Christ'' (also known as ''Sansepolcro Altarpiece''; Italian: ''Pala di Sansepolcro'') is a painting by Italian Renaissance master Perugino, dating from around 1510. It is housed in the Cathedral of Sansepolcro, Tuscany, central ...

'', or ''Ascension of Christ'', executed by Renaissance master

Perugino Pietro Perugino (, ; – 1523), born Pietro Vannucci, was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael was his most famous pupil. Ear ...

around 1510. Annexed to the church is the Bishop's Palace, one part of the original abbey. Its cloister has 16th-century frescoes depicting the ''Life of St. Benedict'', as well as the tomb of artist

References

Sources

* {{Coord, 43.5708, 12.1415, type:landmark_region:IT, display=title Roman Catholic churches in Sansepolcro Romanesque architecture in Tuscany 11th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy