Montefiascone Cathedral or the Basilica of Santa Margherita ( it, Duomo di Montefiascone; Basilica Cattedrale di Santa Margherita) is a former

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 ...

Montefiascone Montefiascone is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Viterbo, in Lazio, central Italy. It stands on a hill on the southeast side of Lake Bolsena, about north of Rome. History The name of the city derives from that of the Falisci (''Mons Fa ...

in the

province of Viterbo Viterbo ( it, provincia di Viterbo) is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Viterbo. Geography Viterbo is the most northerly of the provinces of Lazio. It is bordered to the south by the Metropolitan City of Rome C ...

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 ...

, dedicated to

Saint Margaret of Antioch Margaret, known as Margaret of Antioch in the West, and as Saint Marina the Great Martyr ( grc-gre, Ἁγία Μαρίνα) in the East, is celebrated as a saint on 20 July in the Western Rite Orthodoxy, Roman Catholic Church and Anglicanism, ...

, the patron saint of the town. It was formerly the episcopal seat of the

Diocese of Montefiascone The diocese of Montefiascone (''Latin Name: Faliscodunensis o Montis Falisci'') was a Catholic ecclesiastical territory in Italy. It was created from the diocese of Bagnorea in 1369. In 1986 was united into the diocese of Viterbo, Acquapendente, ...

(suppressed and incorporated into the

Diocese of Viterbo The Diocese of Viterbo ( la, Dioecesis Viterbiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in central Italy. From the 12th century, the official name of the diocese was the Diocese of Viterbo e Tuscania. In 1 ...

in 1986) and is now a

basilica minor In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular b ...

(status bestowed in 1943). It is one of the most important churches in the area, and has one of the largest domes in Italy (27 m of diameter), which is visible from most of the towns of the Viterbo area.

History

When Pope

Urban V Pope Urban V ( la, Urbanus V; 1310 – 19 December 1370), born Guillaume de Grimoard, was the head of the Catholic Church from 28 September 1362 until his death in December 1370 and was also a member of the Order of Saint Benedict. He was the on ...

established the

in 1396, the church that was the most popular and most central was chosen to be the cathedral of the new diocese, after which major reconstruction began. The building from the crypt up to the base of the dome dates from the 15th and 16th centuries and was undertaken by the Veronese architect

Michele Sanmicheli Michele Sanmicheli (also spelled ''Sanmmicheli'', ''Sanmichele'' or ''Sammichele'') (1484–1559), was a Venetian architect and urban planner of Mannerist-style, among the greatest of his era. A tireless worker, he was in charge of designing bui ...

, probably with the help of

Antonio da Sangallo the Younger 250px, A model of the Apostolic Palace, which was the main project of Bramante during Sangallo's apprenticeship. 250px, The church of Santa Maria di Loreto near the Rome.html"_;"title="Trajan's_Market_in_Rome">Trajan's_Market_in_Rome. image: ...

. At this time the lower church was created, and the plans for the upper church drawn up, although for economic reasons this phase of building stopped at the level of the roof, and the cathedral remained open to the elements until 1602.Montefiascone municipal website
After a fire during the night of

Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...

in 1670 destroyed the roof and part of the interior of the cathedral, the repair and completion of the construction was entrusted to

Carlo Fontana Carlo Fontana (1634 or 1638–1714) was an Italian architect originating from today's Canton Ticino, who was in part responsible for the classicizing direction taken by Late Baroque Roman architecture. Biography There seems to be no proof that ...

, who amended Sanmicheli's plans to produce a dome more in keeping with contemporary taste which was to impact decisively on the landscape of the surrounding countryside. The new dome was opened on 16 December 1674. The bell towers and west front were designed and added in 1840 by the architect Paul Gazola, using very simple elements of decoration: the statues of Saint Flavian of Montefiascone and

, the principal saints worshipped in Montefiascone, and a classical tympanum supported by

Ionic column The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite or ...

s and surmounted by the

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

Cardinal Macchi Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...

. The cathedral was created a basilica minor on 26 February 1943. In 1986 the Diocese of Montefiascone was amalgamated with a number of others to form the

Diocese of Viterbo, Acquapendente, Bagnoregio, Montefiascone, Tuscania e San Martino al Monte Cimino The Diocese of Viterbo ( la, Dioecesis Viterbiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in central Italy. From the 12th century, the official name of the diocese was the Diocese of Viterbo e Tuscania. In 1 ...

,Catholic Hierarchy
/ref> and the church ceased to be an episcopal seat.

Besides a marble statue and some relics of Saint Margaret of Antioch, the cathedral contains the relics of Saint

Lucia Filippini Lucy Filippini ( it, Santa Lucia Filippini; 13 January 1672 – 25 March 1732) is venerated as a Catholic saint. She founded ''the Institute of the Maestre Pie'', dedicated to the education of young girls. Life Lucy Filippini was born on 13 ...

and the tomb of Cardinal

Marco Antonio Barbarigo Marco may refer to: People * Marco (given name), people with the given name Marco * Marco (actor) (born 1977), South Korean model and actor * Georg Marco (1863–1923), Romanian chess player of German origin * Tomás Marco (born 1942), Spanish c ...

, and also a well-known wooden cross.

References

Sources

* Ballorotto, Agostino, et al., 1992: ''Montefiascone e la Basilica di Santa Margherita''. Montefiascone: Banca cattolica di Montefiascone {{Coord, 42.5366, N, 12.0303, E, type:landmark_source:kolossus-itwiki, display=title Roman Catholic cathedrals in Italy Cathedrals in Lazio Roman Catholic churches in Montefiascone Renaissance architecture in Lazio 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1674 1674 establishments in Italy Church buildings with domes

History

Contents

See also

References

Sources