Pavia Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Pavia) is a church in

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...

, Italy, the largest in the city and seat of the

Diocese of Pavia The Diocese of Pavia ( la, Dioecesis Papiensis) is a see of the Catholic Church in Italy. It has been a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Milan only since 1817.St. Sirus, first

Bishop of Pavia The Diocese of Pavia ( la, Dioecesis Papiensis) is a see of the Catholic Church in Italy. It has been a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Milan only since 1817.

, and a thorn purported to be from the

Crown of Thorns According to the New Testament, a woven crown of thorns ( or grc, ἀκάνθινος στέφανος, akanthinos stephanos, label=none) was placed on the head of Jesus during the events leading up to his crucifixion. It was one of the instru ...

worn by Christ. The marble facing of the exterior was never completed. Until recently, next to the cathedral stood the Civic Tower (''Torre Civica''), known in 1330 and enlarged in 1583. It collapsed on March 17, 1989.Pavia e Dintorni
short entry. ''www.paviaedintorni.it''.

History

The "twin" cathedrals of Santo Stefano and Santa Maria Maggiore, commonly called Santa Maria del Popolo, once stood on the area currently occupied by the cathedral. The two original churches were founded between the sixth and seventh centuries and subsequently renovated, but around the eleventh-twelfth century they were rebuilt in Romanesque forms. The two churches were deconsecrated and progressively demolished as the Renaissance construction site advanced; the last elements to be destroyed were the remains of the facades, landed at the end of the 19th century to make way for the front of the new Cathedral, while a large part of the crypt (from the 11th century) of Santa Maria del Popolo was preserved. Foto-cripta

The cathedral was begun in 1488, under architect Cristoforo Rocchi, who was soon replaced by

Giovanni Antonio Amadeo 260px, Amadeo, Milan Cathedral 260px, The Colleoni Chapel in Bergamo. Giovanni Antonio Amadeo (c. 1447 – 27 or 28 August 1522) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor of the Early Renaissance, architect, and engineer. Biography Amadeo was born in ...

and

Gian Giacomo Dolcebuono Gian Giacomo Quadri, known as Dolcebuono ( 1445 – 1504) was an Italian architect and sculptor. Born probably in Lugano, he was a relative of Giacomo Antonio Dolcebuono, who had provided one of the first projects for the façade of the Certosa ...

. The original project, with a nave and two aisles flanked by semicircular niches and a large central dome, was influenced by

Bramante Donato Bramante ( , , ; 1444 – 11 April 1514), born as Donato di Pascuccio d'Antonio and also known as Bramante Lazzari, was an Italian architect and painter. He introduced Renaissance architecture to Milan and the High Renaissance style ...

, some details of it later appearing in

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...

in Rome.

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

is also known to have contributed to the project. In particular, the planimetric project, the design of the crypt (completed in 1492), of the base part of the apse area of the building and of the sacristies are attributed to

. The crypt, like other buildings made by Bramante, has a central plan, divided into two naves structured on two spans. The large pillars, which support lowered vaults, and the pointed arches of the central nave recall the thermal rooms of the classical age and the ''nymphaeums'', such as that of the ''Horti Sallustiani'' in

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 ...

In 1521, the altar area was completed by Giampietrino Rizzi, a pupil of Da Vinci. By the 17th century, the presbytery had been completed but only in the following century was the

tambour In classical architecture, a tambour ( Fr.: "drum") is the inverted bell of the Corinthian capital around which are carved acanthus leaves for decoration. The term also applies to the wall of a circular structure, whether on the ground or raised ...

built, while the dome itself and the facade had to wait for the 19th century. The dome was designed by

Carlo Maciachini Carlo Francesco Maciachini (sometimes spelled Maciacchini; 2 April 1818 – 10 June 1899) was an Italian architect and restorer. Born near Varese, he studied in Milan, where he also realized some of his most important works, most notably the Monum ...

and completed in 1885, but partially collapsed the same year. In 1930, construction continued with the two arms of 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 ...

, for which the original plan was followed, although using

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...

(in order to save the remains of the medieval Santa Maria del Popolo). The arms are still missing part of the internal marble decoration. Musei civici pavia33

Overview

The church is on the Greek Cross plan: it therefore has the same length and width at the transept. At about , it is one of the largest edifices with a central plan in northern Italy. The central dome, with an octagonal plan, is tall, with a total weight of some 20,000 tons. It is the fourth in Italy in size, after

, the

Pantheon Pantheon may refer to: * Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building Arts and entertainment Comics *Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization * ''Pantheon'' (Lone S ...

and the

Cathedral of Florence Florence Cathedral, formally the (; in English Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower), is the cathedral of Florence, Italy ( it, Duomo di Firenze). It was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally co ...

The monument is a large building. The church develops on three naves (the central double of the lateral ones and crossed by a practicable gallery), both in the longitudinal body and in the transept. The side aisles are flanked by semicircular chapels. The interior, with pure Renaissance architectural lines, gives an impression of great grandeur, amplified by the brightness of the very white marble cladding. On the counter-façade, two masterpieces of the Baroque period: Madonna and ss. Siro and Antonio, by

Giovanni Battista Crespi Giovanni Battista Crespi (23 December 1573 – 23 October 1632), called Il Cerano, was an Italian painter, sculptor, and architect. Biography He was born in Romagnano Sesia, the son of a painter, Raffaele Crespi, and moved to Cerano with his ...

, known as Cerano, and Adoration of the Magi, by

Daniele Crespi Daniele Crespi (159819 July 1630) was an Italian painter and draughtsman. He is regarded as one of the most original artists working in Milan in the 1620s. He broke away from the exaggerated manner of Lombard Mannerism in favour of an early B ...

. In the apse there is an imposing Baroque decoration, consisting of stuccos and frescoes. The structure depicts a radiant cave with golden clouds in the center of which two angels hold up a large crown of thorns. Around it there are cherubs and angels and on the sides two symbolic figures of Religion and the Fatherland. This plant surrounds the seventeenth-century reliquary in silver and crystal containing the Holy Thorns of Christ's crown. In fact, three thorns are preserved in the Cathedral, which according to tradition were found by

Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

, mother of Emperor

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...

, around 327. The thorns are lowered from above during the

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...

vigil to be carried in procession on following Monday. This tradition has been repeated since 1645. Pavia, Duomo, interior 01

In the apse of the left transept, in the center, the Altar of the Confraternity of suffrage, built by the Genoese Tommaso Orsolino in 1644-46 and remodeled in 1652 with the addition of two columns and other elements of precious marble. In the apse of the right transept, the Altar of Saint Syrus, first bishop of Pavia (III-IV century), with double front. Above the nineteenth-century crystal urn with the remains of the saint, there is a monumental ancona in white marble with an alabaster base from the Orsolino (1645-1650) depicting the Virgin delivering the keys of the city to Saint Syrus. Interior of Duomo (Pavia) 16

On the east side of the right transept is the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary previously dedicated to the passion. On the altar there is a canvas by the Pavese artist

Bernardino Gatti Bernardino Gatti (c.1495 – 22 February 1576) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance, active mainly in Parma and Cremona. He is also commonly called il Sojaro. He was born in or near Pavia or Cremona. His early apprenticeship is unclear, ...

known as Sojaro (1530-1531) depicting the Madonna with the child, Saint Dominc and Saint Alexander. Fifteen episodes referring to the mysteries of the rosary are represented in the outline of the painting (to be read counterclockwise). In the left aisle, in the third chapel, there is an altarpiece depicting the ''Immaculate Conception''. painted by

Federico Faruffini Federico Faruffini (1833–1869) was an Italian painter and engraver of historical subjects, in a style that combines the styles and themes of Realism with the diffuse outlines and lively colors of Scapigliatura painters. Biography Born in Sesto ...

on behalf of the canon Giovanni Battista Bosisio in 1857. At the foot of the Virgin you can see the outline of the city of Pavia, while on the architrave there is the inscription ''Fecit mihi magna qui potens est''. On the sides of the altar are the statues of the parents of the Virgin, Joachim and Anna. The remains of the bishop of Pavia Saint

Damian of Pavia Damian of Pavia (also ''Damianus Ticinensis, Damianus Mediolanensis, Damianus Biscossia'') was Bishop of Pavia (Ticinum) from 680, succeeding bishop Anastasius. He mediated relations between the Lombards and the Byzantine emperors. Damian wrot ...

(VII century) are placed under the altar.

History

Overview

See also