Tivoli Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Tivoli or ''Basilica Cattedrale di San Lorenzo Martire'') 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 ...

, dedicated to

Saint Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. "Laurel wreath, laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the Persecution of Christians, perse ...

, in Tivoli,

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, Italy. It is the seat of the

bishop of Tivoli The Diocese of Tivoli ( la, Dioecesis Tiburtina) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Latium, Italy, which has existed since the 2nd century. In 2002 territory was added to it from the Territorial Abbey ...

History

According to a legend, it was built by

Emperor Constantine Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterranea ...

after the

Edict of Milan The Edict of Milan ( la, Edictum Mediolanense; el, Διάταγμα τῶν Μεδιολάνων, ''Diatagma tōn Mediolanōn'') was the February 313 AD agreement to treat Christians benevolently within the Roman Empire. Frend, W. H. C. ( ...

(313). The local tradition attributes the building of the church to

Pope Simplicius Pope Simplicius (died 2 or 10 March 483) was the bishop of Rome from 468 to his death. He combated the Eutychian heresy, ended the practice of consecrating bishops only in December, and sought to offset the effects of Germanic invasions. Electi ...

(468-483), who was born at Tivoli. The ''Liber pontificalis'', in the biography of

Pope Leo III Pope Leo III (died 12 June 816) was bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 26 December 795 to his death. Protected by Charlemagne from the supporters of his predecessor, Adrian I, Leo subsequently strengthened Charlemagne's position b ...

(795-816), contains the first reference to the "basilica beati martyris Laurentii sita infra civitatem Tyburtinam" ("basilica of the Blessed Martyr Lawrence in the town of Tivoli"). Whatever the exact date, the first church was built over the

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

in the

forum Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to: Common uses * Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example *Internet ...

of the

Roman 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 letter ...

city of

Tibur Tivoli ( , ; la, Tibur) is a town and in Lazio, central Italy, north-east of Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river where it issues from the Sabine hills. The city offers a wide view over the Roman Campagna. History Gaius Julius Solinu ...

(1st century BC), whose

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 ...

can still be seen behind the one of the present building. This church was rebuilt in Romanesque style between the 11th and 12th centuries, and the bell tower belongs to this rebuilding. The present cathedral, in

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

style, was built by order of Cardinal

Giulio Roma Giulio Roma (16 September 1584 – 16 September 1652) was an Italian Catholic Cardinal and Bishop of Recanati and Loreto. Roma was born 16 September 1584 in Milan, one of 16 children born to noble parents. He was educated at the University o ...

, bishop of Tivoli from 1634 to 1652. It has one nave with side chapels. It was consecrated on February 1, 1641, and completed with the portico in 1650. In 1747 the side door on the north was created, while the inside decoration dates from the early 19th century.

Description

The west front of the church has a portico with three arches, and is flanked by the Romanesque bell tower, about 47 meters high. The interior was decorated by the Roman painter

Angelo De Angelis Angelo is an Italian masculine given name and surname meaning "angel", or "messenger". People People with the given name *Angelo Accattino (born 1966), Italian prelate of the Catholic Church *Angelo Acciaioli (bishop) (1298–1357), Italian Rom ...

in 1816: on the vault are paintings depicting ''The Glory of St. Lawrence'', ''Faith'' and ''Religion'', while in the apse are depicted four saints from Tivoli:

and the martyrs Generosus,

Symphorosa Symphorosa ( it, Sinforosa; died circa AD 138) is venerated as a saint of the Catholic Church. According to tradition, she was martyred with her seven sons at Tibur (present Tivoli, Lazio, Tivoli, Lazio, Italy) toward the end of the reign of the R ...

and

Getulius Saint Getulius (died 120 AD) is venerated together with Amantius (Amancius), Cerealus (Caerealis), and Primitivus ( it, Getulio, Amanzio, Cereale, e Primitivo) as a Christianity, Christian martyr and saint. They are considered to have died at Gabi ...

. The altarpiece represents ''St Lawrence in front of the Judge'', and was painted by Pietro Labruzzi.

Side chapels

Four chapels open along the south side of the cathedral: *''Chapel of the Crucifix'': decorated by the Tiburtine painter

Raffaele Giuliani Raffaele () is an Italian given name and surname, variant of the English Raphael. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Raffaele Amato, Italian mobster *Raffaele Cutolo, Italian mobster * Raffaele Ganci, Italian mobster * Raffaele Cant ...

(19th century) with ''Scenes of the Passion of Jesus''. The altar includes an oil on canvas with ''Our Lady of Sorrows'' by

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious ...

or his school *''Chapel of the Immaculate'': decorated by

Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi (1606 – 28 November 1680) was an Italian painter, draughtsman, printmaker and architect. He was an accomplished fresco painter of classical landscapes which were popular with leading Roman families. Life Grimaldi ...

. The French sculptor

Christophe Veyrier Christophe Veyrier (25 June 1637 – 10 June 1689) was a French sculptor, the nephew and follower of Pierre Puget. Veyrier was born in Trets, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. He arrived in Genoa in 1663 and stayed for a number of years, before moving ...

, a nephew and follower of

Pierre Puget Pierre Paul Puget (16 October 1620 – 2 December 1694) was a French Baroque painter, sculptor, architect and engineer. His sculpture expressed emotion, pathos and drama, setting it apart from the more classical and academic sculpture of the ...

, is the author of the ''Immaculate Conception'' altarpiece *''Chapel of Saint Lawrence'': contains paintings by

Ludovico Gimignani Ludovico Gimignani (1643 – 26 June 1697) was an Italian painter, who is mainly known for his altarpieces for churches in Rome. Biography Ludovico was born in Rome as the son of the painter Giacinto (1611–1681). His father was one of the mai ...

and Pietro Lucatelli, while the altarpiece, depicting

, is by

Luigi Fontana Luigi Fontana (9 February 1827 – 27 December 1908) was an Italian sculptor, painter and architect. Biography He was born at Monte San Pietrangeli in the Marche. He first began training between 1838 and 1841 at Macerata under Gaetano Ferri; th ...

*''Chapel of the Deposition'': contains the famous wooden sculpture group of the ''Descent from the Cross'' (c. 1220-1230), which includes six statues: the

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

, the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

Saint John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης, Iōánnēs; Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ; ar, يوحنا الإنجيلي, la, Ioannes, he, יוחנן cop, ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ or ⲓⲱ̅ⲁ) is the name traditionally given t ...

Joseph of Arimathea Joseph of Arimathea was, according to all four canonical gospels, the man who assumed responsibility for the burial of Jesus after his crucifixion. The historical location of Arimathea is uncertain, although it has been identified with several t ...

Nicodemus Nicodemus (; grc-gre, Νικόδημος, Nikódēmos) was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin mentioned in three places in the Gospel of John: * He first visits Jesus one night to discuss Jesus' teachings (). * The second time Nicodem ...

, and an

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

Two further chapels open on the north side: *''Chapel of the Most Holy Savior'': decorated by

Vincenzo Manenti Vincenzo Manenti (also known as Vincenzio Manenti) (c. 1600–1674) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. He was born, worked and died in Canemorto (now Orvinio) in the region of Sabina and province of Rieti where he had been first a pu ...

. Over the altar is the renowned ''Triptych of the Savior'', a work by the Benedictine monks of

Farfa Abbey Farfa Abbey ( it, Abbazia di Farfa) is a territorial abbey in northern Lazio, central Italy. In the Middle Ages it was one of the richest and most famous abbeys in Italy. It belongs to the Benedictine Order and is located about from Rome, in ...

(first half of the 12th century). The silver

cuirass A cuirass (; french: cuirasse, la, coriaceus) is a piece of armour that covers the torso, formed of one or more pieces of metal or other rigid material. The word probably originates from the original material, leather, from the French '' cuira ...

from the triptych, made by Tuscan craftsmen in 1449, is now preserved in a showcase on the left *''Chapel of the Persian Martyrs'': decorated by Bartolomeo Colombo, an assistant of the famous painter and architect

Pietro da Cortona Pietro da Cortona (; 1 November 1596 or 159716 May 1669) was an Italian Baroque painter and architect. Along with his contemporaries and rivals Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, he was one of the key figures in the emergence of Roman ...

. This chapel is located in the passage to the side door of the church. On the right is the funerary monument of the Tiburtine bishop Angelo Leonini, who died in 1517 Also on the north side, the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

was designed by architect

Giovanni Antonio De Rossi Giovanni Antonio de' Rossi (1616–1695) was an Italian architect of the Baroque period, active mainly in Rome. Life He was a contemporary of Carlo Rainaldi. In 1657, he completed the sacristy of Tivoli Cathedral. That same year, he designed the r ...

(1655–57), and contains frescoes by Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi, and oils on canvas by Innocenzo Tacconi (1575 - after 1625), with ''The Martyrdom of St Lawrence'', and

, with portraits of Cardinals Roma and Santacroce.

Sources

* Maria Grazia Bernardini (ed.), ''Sei-Settecento a Tivoli. Restauri e ricerche'', exhibition catalogue (Tivoli, Villa d'Este, April 5 - August 31, 1997), Roma 1997, pp. 18–36, 46-47, 53-61, 76-81, 84-85, 88-93. * Franco Sciarretta, ''Viaggio a Tivoli. Guida della città e del territorio di Tivoli, attraverso 7 percorsi interni e 5 esterni'', Tivoli 2001, pp. 64–78. * Franco Sciarretta, ''Guide to Tivoli. First Encounter with Tivoli'' (English edition), Tivoli 2005. * Camillo Pierattini, ''La Cattedrale di San Lorenzo a Tivoli'', new edition by Francesco Ferruti, Tivoli 2008. * ''La Cattedrale di S. Lorenzo in Tivoli'', brochure in Italian, French, English, and German, available on site. {{coord, 41, 57, 56, N, 12, 47, 48, E, region:IT_type:landmark_source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title Tivoli, Lazio Churches in the metropolitan city of Rome Roman Catholic cathedrals in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1650 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy 1650 establishments in the Papal States 1650 establishments in Italy Cathedrals in Lazio