Pistoia Cathedral, or Cathedral of Saint Zeno ( it, Duomo di Pistoia or ''Cattedrale di San Zeno'') is the main religious building of
Pistoia
Pistoia (, is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typi ...
,
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 ...
, located in the ''Piazza del Duomo'' in the centre of the city. It is the seat of the
Bishop of Pistoia and is dedicated to Saint
Zeno of Verona
Zeno of Verona ( it, Zenone da Verona; about 300 – 371 or 380) was either an early Christian Bishop of Verona or a martyr. He is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Orthodox Church.
Life and historicity
According to a Veronese aut ...
.
Most probably built in the 10th century, it has a façade in
Romanesque style, inspired by other churches in Pistoia (
San Bartolomeo and
San Jacopo). The interior has a nave and two side-aisles, with a presbytery and crypt. A restoration in 1952–1999 returned the church to its original lines.
History
It has been speculated that a smaller cathedral may have existed in Pistoia as early as the 5th century, as it already had a bishop at that time. The location of such a building is however unknown: possible sites are those of the current cathedral, of the
Pieve di Sant'Andrea or of
San Pier Maggiore.
The first mention of a cathedral dates to 923. In 998 a diploma of Emperor
Otto III
Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu.
Otto III was crowned as King of ...
refers to a
Palaeo-Christian
The history of Christianity concerns the Christian religion, Christian countries, and the Christians with their various denominations, from the 1st century to the present. Christianity originated with the ministry of Jesus, a Jewish tea ...
building located between the "cathedral square" (''Piazza del Duomo'') and the city's watch tower. In 1108 the cathedral was damaged by a fire, and was probably rebuilt over the next few decades, as in 1145 an altar was dedicated in it to
Saint James the Great
James the Great, also known as James, son of Zebedee, Saint James the Great, Saint James the Greater, Saint James the Elder, or Saint Jacob (Aramaic ܝܥܩܘܒ ܒܪ ܙܒܕܝ, Arabic يعقوب, Hebrew בן זבדי , '' Yaʿăqōḇ'', Latin '' ...
by Bishop
Saint Atto. In 1202 another fire damaged the cathedral again. In 1274–1275 the aisles were covered with vaults, and in 1287 a new altar was begun. In 1298 there was further damage caused by an earthquake. In 1336 a statue of
Saint Zeno was placed in the west front, sculpted by Jacopo di Mazzeo.
Between 1379 and 1440 the façade was reconstructed with the addition of three tiers of
loggia
In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...
s and a
portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...
. In 1504
Andrea della Robbia was commissioned to undertake the decoration of the
archivolt
An archivolt (or voussure) is an ornamental moulding or band following the curve on the underside of an arch.
It is composed of bands of ornamental mouldings (or other architectural elements) surrounding an arched opening, corresponding to the ...
(for which he created a festoon with plant themes and, in the middle, the crest of the Opera di San Jacopo), of the portico as well as of the
lunette
A lunette (French ''lunette'', "little moon") is a half-moon shaped architectural space, variously filled with sculpture, painted, glazed, filled with recessed masonry, or void.
A lunette may also be segmental, and the arch may be an arc take ...
with bas-reliefs over the central portal, depicting the "Madonna with Child and Angels". He finished the works in 1505.
In 1598–1614 the medieval
choir
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
was demolished, the side chapels were modified and the original
apse
In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...
was replaced by a Baroque
tribune
Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on the ...
surmounted by a dome designed by Jacopo Lafri, while the main aisle was covered by new
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 decoration of the tribune ceiling was also undertaken, and paintings in the same area and in the main chapel were added. In 1721 a statue of Saint James the Great, by
Andrea Vaccà
Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew.
Origin of the name
The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that ref ...
, was added to the façade. The medieval
mullioned window
A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...
s, replaced by Baroque windows, were restored between 1952 and 1966, and the vaults over the aisle were removed.
Interior
The presbytery pavement is raised, housing the
crypt
A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics.
Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...
underneath, while the nave and the aisles, separated by columns, have vaults and wooden truss covers respectively. The right aisle was once occupied by the Chapel of St. James (''San Jacopo''), built by bishop Atto in the mid-12th century to house the relics of
Saint James brought from
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of St ...
. The silver altar of the saint can be seen today in the Crucifix Chapel.
Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament
The Chapel of the
Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, also Most Blessed Sacrament, is a devotional name to refer to the body and blood of Christ in the form of consecrated sacramental bread and wine at a celebration of the Eucharist. The term is used in the Latin Church of the ...
(''Capello del Santissimo Sacramento''), which houses the
tabernacle
According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle ( he, מִשְׁכַּן, mīškān, residence, dwelling place), also known as the Tent of the Congregation ( he, link=no, אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ’ōhel mō‘ēḏ, also Tent of Meeting, etc.), ...
, is also known as the Chapel of San Donato from a painting portraying the ''
Madonna Enthroned between St. John the Baptist and St. Donatus
The Piazza Madonna (Italian - ''Madonna di Piazza'') is a tempera on panel painting, dating to 1474-1486 and held in Pistoia Cathedral.
It was commissioned from Andrea del Verrocchio in 1474 as an altarpiece for the oratory of the Madonna di Piazz ...
'' (c. 1475–1486), on the right hand wall. The painting had been commissioned from
Andrea del Verrocchio
Andrea del Verrocchio (, , ; – 1488), born Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni, was a sculptor, Italian painter and goldsmith who was a master of an important workshop in Florence. He apparently became known as ''Verrocchio'' after the su ...
by the heirs of
Donato de' Medici and was started by Andrea but, left unfinished, was completed by
Lorenzo di Credi
Lorenzo di Credi (1456/59 – January 12, 1537) was an Italian Renaissance painter and sculptor best known for his paintings of religious subjects. He is most famous for having worked in the studio of Andrea del Verrocchio at the same time a ...
. The bishop next to the Madonna has been identified as Saint Zeno. In the middle is the ''
Assumption of the Virgin
The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Catholic_Mariology#Dogmatic_teachings, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution ''Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows:
We proclaim and d ...
'' by
Giovan Battista Paggi (1590–1600). Next to the chapel's entrance is the tomb of Donato de' Medici (1475), Bishop of Pistoia,
["Bishop Donato de' Medici"]
''Catholic-Hierarchy.org
''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. The website is not officially sanctioned by the Church. It is run as a private project by David M. Cheney in ...
''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 5 Nov 2020 attributed to
Antonio Rossellino
Antonio Gamberelli (1427–1479), Janson, H.W. (1995) ''History of Art''. 5th edn. Revised and expanded by Anthony F. Janson. London: Thames & Hudson, p. 465. nicknamed Antonio Rossellino for the colour of his hair, was an Italian Renaissance ...
.
Crucifix Chapel
This chapel contains the altar of Saint James, in
embossed silver sheet, which was moved here in 1953. It was begun in 1287, when Andrea di Jacopo d'Ognabene was commissioned to make representations of the ''
Madonna and Child
In art, a Madonna () is a representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word is (archaic). The Madonna and Child type is very prevalent in ...
'' for the rear of the altar, and, for the front section, of ''Stories of the New Testament'', ''Christ in Majesty between Mary and St. James'' and ''Three Stories of St. James'', which he finished in 1316. In addition,
Pace di Valentino, a Sienese goldsmith, created some of the figures surrounding St. James. Giglio Pisano executed the large silver statue depicting ''St. James Enthroned'' (1349-1353), commissioned as thanksgiving after the end of the
Black Death
The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...
in 1348.
The two side
antependia
An ''antependium'' (from Latin ''ante-'' and ''pendēre'' "to hang before"; pl: ''antependia''), also known as a ''parament'' or ''hanging'', or, when speaking specifically of the hanging for the altar, an altar frontal (Latin: ''pallium altaris ...
were executed by Leonardo di Ser Giovanni and Francesco Niccolai, with ''Stories of the Old Testament'' and ''Stories of St. James'', between 1361 and 1371. Other works include the ''Apostles, St. Eulalia, Bishop Atto, St. John the Baptist and Salome'' by Piero d'Arrigo Tedesco (1380–1390), another ''Christ in Majesty with St. Anthony Abbot, St. Stephen'' and the
cusp
A cusp is the most pointed end of a curve. It often refers to cusp (anatomy), a pointed structure on a tooth.
Cusp or CUSP may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Cusp (singularity), a singular point of a curve
* Cusp catastrophe, a branch of bifurc ...
by Nofri di Buto and Atto di Piero Braccini (1394–1398).
Filippo Brunelleschi
Filippo Brunelleschi ( , , also known as Pippo; 1377 – 15 April 1446), considered to be a founding father of Renaissance architecture, was an Italian architect, designer, and sculptor, and is now recognized to be the first modern engineer, p ...
decorated the front part with two busts of prophets (1401). The other sides were decorated by Piero d'Antonio da Pisa and Domenico da Imola.
Aisles
Works in the south aisle include:
*Triptych of ''Crucifixion between the Madonna, Sts. John, Jerome and James (1424), by an unknown artist.
*A copy of the ''Annunciation'' by
Domenico Cresti
Domenico Passignano (1559 – 17 May 1638), born Domenico Cresti or Crespi, was an Italian painter of a late-Renaissance or Counter-''Maniera'' ( Counter-Mannerism) style that emerged in Florence towards the end of the 16th century.
Biography ...
*The precious ''Crucifixion'' (1274) by
Coppo di Marcovaldo
Coppo di Marcovaldo (c. 1225 – c. 1276) was a Florentine painter in the Italo-Byzantine style, active in the middle of the thirteenth century, whose fusion of both the Italian and Byzantine art, Byzantine styles had great influence on gen ...
and his son Salerno. It includes six panels with the ''Capture of Jesus'', ''Christ in Front of the Priests'', ''Deposition'', ''Deposition of Jesus in the Sepulchre'', ''The Three Marys at the Sepulchre''
*Tomb of
Cino Sinibuldi da Pistoia (1337), attributed to
Agostino di Giovanni
Works in the north aisle include:
*
Monument of Cardinal Forteguerri, commissioned from
Andrea del Verrocchio
Andrea del Verrocchio (, , ; – 1488), born Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni, was a sculptor, Italian painter and goldsmith who was a master of an important workshop in Florence. He apparently became known as ''Verrocchio'' after the su ...
by the ''Consiglio Generale '' of Pistoia in 1473. After the death of Verrocchio (1488),
Lorenzo Lotti, known as il Lorenzetto, finished the work by sculpting the statue of Charity. The current surround and other details were executed in 1753.
*''Madonna delle Porrine'', 14th-century fresco by an unknown artist.
*Statue of
Pope Leo XI
Pope Leo XI ( it, Leone XI; 2 June 153527 April 1605), born Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 April 1605 to his death in April 1605. His pontificate is one of the briefest in his ...
, bishop of Pistoia in 1573 (1618), also from an unknown artist.
*Tomb of bishop Federico Alamanni (1776), by an unknown artist.
*''Martyrdom of St. Bartolomew'', by an unknown artist (17th century).
Presbytery
The vault of the presbytery is decorated by frescoes by Domencio Cresti, depicting the ''Father in Glory'', ''Fall of the Rebel Angels'', ''Fall of Adam'' and the ''Annunciation'' (1602). The organ is from 1793.
In the apse is a painting by
Cristofano Allori
Cristofano Allori (17 October 1577 – 1 April 1621) was an Italian painter of the late Florentine Mannerist school, painting mostly portraits and religious subjects. Allori was born at Florence and received his first lessons in painting from his ...
portraying the
Resurrection
Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, which ...
(1606–1610), beside which are two clay statues of Saint Zeno and Saint James (1609), attributed to the school of
Giambologna
Giambologna (1529 – 13 August 1608), also known as Jean de Boulogne (French), Jehan Boulongne (Flemish) and Giovanni da Bologna (Italian), was the last significant Italian Renaissance sculptor, with a large workshop producing large and small ...
. To the right of the high altar is a ''Pentecost'' by
Gregorio Pagani
Gregorio Pagani (14 July 1559 – 1605) was an Italian painter of the late 16th century, active mainly in Florence. He was the son of the painter Francesco Pagani, then became a pupil of Santi di Tito, then entered the studio of Ludovico Cigoli. ...
(1602), while on the left is an ''Ascension'' by
Benedetto Veli
Benedetto Velli was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. He was born in Florence, and flourished in the 17th century. He painted an ''Ascension'' for the cathedral at Pistoia
Pistoia (, is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region o ...
'' (1606).
Salerno di Coppo executed the fresco of the Madonna and Child on the pilaster in the nave (1475). On the right is a bronze candelabrum by
Maso di Bartolomeo
Maso may refer to:
* Maso (goddess)
* ''Maso'' (spider), a genus of spiders in the family Linyphiidae
* La Masó, municipality in Spain
* Bartolomé Masó, Cuba, a municipality
* An informal term to describe Macedonia
People with the given nam ...
(1442), while in the left aisle is the cenotaph of bishop
Gherardo Gherardi
Gherardo Gherardi (1891–1949) was an Italian screenwriter.Landy p.66 He co-wrote the screenplay for Vittorio De Sica's 1948 neorealist classic ''Bicycle Thieves''. Originally a playwright, he worked prolifically in the Italian film industry fol ...
(1703) and, in the right one, the tomb of bishop Alessandro Del Caccia (1650), and the funerary monument of bishop Leone Strozzi (1695), both by unknown sculptors.
The pulpit was designed by
Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculpt ...
(1560). Next to the right entrance is a sculpted
stoup
A holy water font or stoup is a vessel containing holy water which is generally placed near the entrance of a church. It is often placed at the base of a crucifix or religious representation. It is used in the Catholic Church, Anglican Churches ...
attributed to
Nicola Pisano
Nicola Pisano (also called ''Niccolò Pisano'', ''Nicola de Apulia'' or ''Nicola Pisanus''; c. 1220/1225 – c. 1284) was an Italian sculptor whose work is noted for its classical Roman sculptural style. Pisano is sometimes considered to be the ...
's workshop.
Others
The Chapel of the Last Judgement houses fragments of a fresco by Giovanni da Ponte, dating to 1420–1425. The lateral wall fragments have recently been identified as a depiction of
Dante's
Dante's is a nightclub and live music venue in Portland, Oregon. The venue, located along West Burnside Street and owned by Frank Faillace, hosts a variety of acts ranging from burlesque to rock music.
Dante's is housed in an unreinforced masonr ...
Inferno
Inferno may refer to:
* Hell, an afterlife place of suffering
* Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire
Film
* ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film
* Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker
* Inferno (1973 fi ...
.
[Leon Jacobowitz-Efron, “Dante in Pistoia: The Frescoes of the Cappella del Giudizio.” ''Quaderni Storici'' volume 140, Issue 2 (August 2012): 443–469.]
The
crypt
A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics.
Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...
is that of the Romanesque building, and was originally divided into a central and side spaces by columns, and had three apses. After the construction of the Baroque tribune, the central room was destroyed and the side ones buried. After the 1960s restoration, here were found two capitals, fragments of columns, fragments of 12th-century frescoes, and two marble slabs from the late 12th century.
The counter-façade houses the Arch of St. Atto, with three marble bas-reliefs from 1337. The baptismal font, to a design by
Benedetto da Maiano
Benedetto da Maiano (1442 – May 24, 1497) was an Italian Early Renaissance sculptor.
Biography
Born in the village of Maiano (now part of Fiesole), he started his career as companion of his brother, the architect Giuliano da Maiano. When he ...
(1497), can be seen on the left of the main entrance. In the tympanum over the latter is also a 13th-century fresco by an unknown 13th-century master, while next to the right entrance are frescoes of the ''Virtues'' by Bonaccorso di Cino (1347) and, near the left entrance, the tomb of Bishop Baronto Ricciardi (14th century).
Footnotes
External links
Diocese of Pistoia website: plan of the cathedralHistory and description of the building
{{Authority control
Pistoia
Pistoia (, is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typi ...
Cathedrals in Tuscany
10th-century churches in Italy
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 ...
Romanesque architecture in Pistoia
Basilica churches in Tuscany