Padua Cathedral
Padua Cathedral, or Basilica Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption (Italian: Duomo di Padova; Basilica Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta), is a Catholic church and minor basilica located on the east end of Piazza Duomo, adjacent to the bishop's palace in Padua, Veneto, Italy.
The cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, is the seat of the Bishop of Padua. The church building, first erected as a cathedral in the 4th century, has undergone major reconstructions over the centuries.
History
The present church is the third structure built on the same site. The first cathedral was erected after the Edict of Milan in 313 and destroyed by an earthquake on 3 January 1117. It was rebuilt in Romanesque style: the appearance of that medieval church can be seen in the frescoes by Giusto de' Menabuoi in the adjoining baptistery. The current building dates from a reconstruction during the sixteenth century. While in the past the design was attributed to Michelangelo, it was performed rather by Andrea della Valle and Agostino Righetto, and has much in common with earlier Paduan churches. Construction began on the new Renaissance building in 1551 and went on for two centuries, being completed in 1754, yet leaving the façade unfinished.
The Cathedral Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, and has the dignity of
Paleochristian Age
Tradition says that the first cathedral, dedicated to
Excavation and research by the Chair of Medieval Archeology at the University of Padua between 2011 and 2012 has expanded knowledge of the entire area around the Episcopal Palace, the cathedral, and the Baptistery. In the north-east corner of the churchyard, they found the base of a tower with a square plan (10x10 metres; 33x33 ft.) Romanesque style from between the 10th and 12th century. The excavations found the foundations of buildings from between the ninth and eleventh century. North of the baptistery are a series of mosaic pavements from the fourth and the fifth centuries. Among the finds are: a sarcophagus in stone for relics, a Lacerta altar dating from the fifth or sixth century, fragments of liturgical furnishings from various eras, graves (56 individuals), and traces of home workshops from the
The cathedral of Macillo
The new cathedral
Bishop
Exterior
The facade onto which open the three portals is incomplete. According to the plans of Gerolamo Frigimelica and Preti, it would have had to open to an airy atrium of access and onto the upper floor. In the facade is a great, classic pediment supported by six mighty semi-columns of the Corinthian order. A second construction to connect atrium, the loggia, and the episcopal palace would have opened to a covered ramp on the right, but was left unfinished. During the
Interior
Right aisle and chapels
The first chapel on the right has an altar donated in 1760 by the Fraglia (guild) of the shoemakers, and an altarpiece by
Baptistery of the cathedral
The
Capitulary Library
Holdings of the Capitular Library are kept on the premises above the sacristy of the Canons.[2]
See also
Notes
Sources
- Pádua: História, Arte e Cultura. Medoacvs, 1999, pp. 64–67 (in Italian)
- de' Menabuoi, Giusto, 1994: Padua Baptistery of the Cathedral : Frescoes (XIVc.) (2nd edn). Editions G Deganello. ASIN B001GB9OPO
External links
- Padovanet.it: Duomo & battistero (in Italian)
- Structurae: Padua Cathedral and photos