Colle di Val d'Elsa Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Colle di Val d'Elsa; Concattedrale dei Santi Alberto e Marziale) 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 lette ...

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 ...

Colle di Val d'Elsa Colle di Val d'Elsa or Colle Val d'Elsa is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. It has a population of c. 21,600 . Its name means "Hill of Elsa Valley", where Elsa is the name of the river which crosses it and ...

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 ...

, Italy. Anciently a

pieve In the Middle Ages, a pieve (, ; la, plebe, link=no; plural ''pievi'') was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended. The Italian word ''pieve'' is descended from Latin ''plebs'' which, after th ...

of the

Holy Saviour Two names and a variety of titles are used to refer to Jesus in the New Testament. In Christianity, the two names Jesus and Emmanuel that refer to Jesus in the New Testament have salvific attributes.''Bible explorer's guide'' by John Phillips 200 ...

(San Salvatore), it is now dedicated to Saints

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...

and

Martial Marcus Valerius Martialis (known in English as Martial ; March, between 38 and 41 AD – between 102 and 104 AD) was a Roman poet from Hispania (modern Spain) best known for his twelve books of ''Epigrams'', published in Rome between AD 86 and ...

. Formerly the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Colle di Val d'Elsa from its creation in 1592, it is now a co-cathedral of the

Archdiocese of Siena-Colle di Val d'Elsa-Montalcino In 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 provinces were administratively associate ...

History

Construction started in 1603 on the site of the old parish church of San Salvatore, expanded during the 11th century by

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

n workers. Usimbardo Usimbardi, the first bishop of the new Diocese of Colle di Val d'Elsa created in 1592, entrusted the design of the new cathedral to the architect Fausto Rughesi. The building has a

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a ''crucifix'' and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

plan with a nave and two aisles, divided into four bays by rectangular piers. The

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 withi ...

is closed by two large side-chapels. The presbytery is dominated by a cupola. The nave and the arms of the transept are roofed by

barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

s, and the aisles by

cross vault A groin vault or groined vault (also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault) is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. Honour, H. and J. Fleming, (2009) ''A World History of Art''. 7th edn. London: Lau ...

s. The eight side-chapels have barrel vaults. The sober Neo-Classical façade is by

Agostino Fantastici Agostino Fantastici (1782 – 1845) was an Italian scenic designer and architect, mainly active in Siena, Italy. He also wrote books of poetry. Biography He was born in Montalcino, but his father Bernardino was a teacher of arithmetic and pers ...

(1782–1845). Mostly in brick, it is interrupted by two raised areas in sandstone containing the side portals, under cornices of

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a pro ...

, running along the frontage at the level of the base of the second storey. The tympanum has an indented triangular frame. The second bishop, Cosimo Gherardesca, gave the new building the necessary furniture to equip it for worship. The choir stalls are still the originals, made in 1628 by Silvestro Ceramelli. A tabernacle by

Mino da Fiesole Mino da Fiesole (c. 1429 – July 11, 1484), also known as Mino di Giovanni, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor from Poppi, Tuscany. He is noted for his portrait busts. Career Mino's work was influenced by his master Desiderio da Settignano and ...

houses one of the alleged nails used for the

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

Sources

* ''Il Chianti e la Valdelsa senese'', Milan, Mondadori, 1999, pp. 62 – 67. {{ISBN, 88-04-46794-0

External links

Tourism in Val d'Elsa
17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic cathedrals in Italy Cathedrals in Tuscany Churches in Colle di Val d'Elsa