Duomo Vecchio Facciata Brescia

''Duomo'' (, ) is an Italian term for a church with the features of, or having been built to serve as, a cathedral, whether or not it currently plays this role. Monza Cathedral, for example, has never been a diocesan seat and is by definition not a cathedral. On the other hand, the city of Trevi no longer has a bishop, although it once did, and the erstwhile cathedral of Emilianus of Trevi is now a mere church. By contradistinction, the Italian word for a cathedral '' sensu stricto'' is ''cattedrale''. There is no direct translation of "duomo" into English, leading to many such churches being erroneously called "cathedral" in English, regardless of whether the church in question hosts a bishop.

Many people refer to particular churches simply as ''il Duomo'', the ''Duomo'', without regard to the full proper name of the church.

Similar words exist in other European languages: ''Dom'' (German), ''dom'' (Romanian), ''dóm'' ( Hungarian and Slovak), ''dôme'' ( French), ''domo'' (Portuguese), ''doms'' ( Latvian), ''tum'' (Polish), ''domkirke'' (Danish and Norwegian), ''dómkirkja'' ( Icelandic), ''domkyrka'' (Swedish), ''toomkirik'' ( Estonian), ''tuomiokirkko'' (Finnish) and so on. Also in these languages the respective terms do not necessarily refer to a church functioning as a cathedral, but also to proto-cathedrals or simply prominent church buildings, which have never been a cathedral in the exact sense of that word. German ''Dom'' and Polish ''tum'' became the synecdoche used – ''pars pro toto'' – for most existing or former collegiate churches. Therefore, the uniform translation of these terms into English as "cathedrals" may not always be appropriate and should be used on a contextual basis.

According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' and the '' Zingarelli'', the word ''duomo'' derives from the Latin word '' domus'', meaning "house", as a cathedral is the "house of God", or ''domus Dei''. The ''Garzanti online dictionary'' also gives the etymology as deriving from "house", but "house of the bishop" instead.

Italian cathedrals are often highly decorated and contain notable artworks; in many cases the buildings themselves are true artworks. Perhaps the best known ''duomo'' is the one in Florence, but other well-known cathedrals include the Milan Cathedral, Archbasilica of St. John Lateran and those of Siena, Alba, Ancona, Mantua and Parma.
File:Speyer - Altpörtel - Blick auf Domfassade und Kirchtürme mit Abendsonne.jpg, Speyer Cathedral, Germany
File:Milano, Duomo, 2016-06 CN-03.jpg, Milan Cathedral, Italy
File:Temple Saint Sava.jpg, Cathedral of Saint Sava, Serbia
File:Salzburg Dom Fassade 02.jpg, Salzburg Cathedral, Austria
File:Lutheran Cathedral in Helsinki Ralf.jpg, Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral, Finland
File:Mainzer Dom, Leichhof (2008-04-23 Sp).jpg, Mainz Cathedral, Germany
File:Worms - Worms Cathedral - 20190322081012.jpeg, Worms Cathedral, Germany
File:Aachen Germany Imperial-Cathedral-01.jpg, Aachen Cathedral, Germany
File:Frankfurt-Dom.jpg, Frankfurt Cathedral, Germany

See also

* List of building types

References

{{Authority control

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Types of church buildings