Parma Cathedral

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44°48′12″N 10°19′52″E / 44.80333°N 10.33111°E / 44.80333; 10.33111

Illusionistic cupola fresco of the Assumption by Antonio da Correggio

Parma Cathedral (

.

History

A basilica existed probably in the 6th century, but was later abandoned; another church had been consecrated in the rear part of the preceding one in the 9th century by count-bishop Guibodo.

After a fire destroyed the early Christian basilica in August 1058,

The new church was heavily damaged by an earthquake in 1117 and had to be restored. Of the original building, remains can be seen in the presbytery, the transept, the choir and the apses, and some sculpture fragments.

Architecture

The wide façade, made from blocks of sandstone, was completed in 1178: it has three

Biagio Pelacani

, who died in 1416.

The Gothic belfry, topped by a gilt copper angel, was added later, in 1284-1294:

Baptistery of Parma

.

Interior

The interior has a Latin cross plan, with a nave and two aisles divided by pilasters. The presbytery and the transept are elevated, to allow space for the underlying crypt. Particularly noteworthy are the capitals; many of them are characterized by rich decorations with leaves, mythological figures, scenes of war, as well as Biblical and Gospel scenes.

The cycle of frescoes in the nave and apse walls are by Lattanzio Gambara^[3] and Bernardino Gatti. Along the nave, in the lunettes above the spans are monochrome frescoes of Old Testament stories, as well as event of the passion. This culminates in the apse, frescoed with ‘’Christ, Mary, Saints, and Angels in Glory’’ (1538–1544) by Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli. The main feature of the interior is the fresco of Assumption of the Virgin decorating the dome, executed by Correggio in 1526–1530.^[5]

A 16th century red Verona marble staircase leads up to the transepts.^[4] In the right transept is the Deposition, a bas-relief by Benedetto Antelami (1178).^[6] It originally was part of the ambo. The sacristy contains works attributed to Luchino Bianchini (1491). There are four reliefs by Benedetto Antelami, from 1178.

The side chapels were built to house the sepulchres of the noble families of Parma: two of them, the Valeri Chapel and the Commune Chapel, have maintained the original decoration from the 14th century. The Valeri Chapel is located on the left; its 15th-century frescoes are attributed to the studio of Bertolino de'Grossi. The frescoes in the Capella del Comune on the right, presumably by the same hands, were painted after the plague of 1410–11, and dedicated to Saint Sebastian.^[3]

The crypt fragments of ancient mosaics which show the presence here of a cult temple from at least the 3rd or 4th century AD. The Crypt has a monument to Saint

and Girolamo Clementi on the design of Mazzola Bèdoli. The Rusconi chapel located at the right of the crypt contains elegant frescoes commissioned by Bishop Giovanni Rusconi in 1398. The Ravacaldi chapel has frescoes attributed to the studio of Bertolino de’Grassi.

• 
  Piazza Duomo Parma 2009
• 
  apse
• 
  crypt
• 
  Crocifissione, Bernardino Gatti,

See also

• History of medieval Arabic and Western European domes

References

Bibliography

• Pauluzzi F. (1894). Il duomo di Parma e i suoi arcipreti. Udine, tip. del Patronato. 1894. (in Italian)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Parma cathedral.

• Piazza Duomo Parma, Cattedrale; retrieved: 3 November 2018. (in Italian)