The cathedral's south wall with the Loggia di Braccio on the left and the Fontana Maggiore in the foreground.
Perugia Cathedral (
Archdiocese of Perugia-Città della Pieve
.
History
From the establishment of the
bishopric, a cathedral existed in Perugia in different locations, until, in 936-1060, a new edifice, corresponding to the transept of the present cathedral, was built here. The current cathedral, dedicated from the beginning as the Cathedral of San Lorenzo and Sant'Ercolano[1] dates from a project of 1300 by Fra Bevignate that was initiated in 1345 and completed in 1490. The external decoration in white and pink marble lozenges (adapted from Arezzo Cathedral
) was never completed; a trial section can still be seen on the main façade.
Overview
Exterior
Unlike most cathedrals, the cathedral of Perugia has its flank on the city's main square,
campanile can be seen. It houses also the Pietra della Giustizia ("Justice Stone") bearing a 1234 inscription by which the commune announced that all the public debt had been repaid. Also on this side is a statue of Pope Julius III by Vincenzo Danti (1555); Julius was a hero to Perugia for having restored the local magistrature, which had been suppressed by Paul III. Until the end of the nineteenth century the statue was more prominently placed in the Piazza Danti (square), but it was repositioned to the side in order to make way for the electric tram which was inaugurated in 1899. In the unfinished wall is a portal designed by Galeazzo Alessi (1568), a pulpit composed of ancient fragments and Cosmatesque mosaics, from which Saint Bernardino of Siena
preached in 1425 and 1427 and a wooden Crucifix by Polidoro Ciburri (1540).
The main façade faces the smaller Piazza Danti; in it is a baroque portal designed by Pietro Carattoli in 1729. The sturdy campanile was constructed in 1606-1612.
Statua di Giulio III.
Portale laterale.
Pulpito di San Bernardino.
Interior
InteriorInterior
The interior is of the
Chiesa a sala type, 68 m in length, with a nave and two aisles of the same height; the nave is twice as wide as the aisles. On the counterfaçade is the sarcophagus of bishop Giovanni Andrea Baglioni (died 1451), attributed to Urbano da Cortona
.
The first chapel is dedicated to the
Perugino, now in the museum of Caen. It also houses a reliquary by Bino di Pietro and Federico and Cesarino del Roscetto, considered amongst the masterworks of Italian Renaissance goldsmiths' work. Continuing on the side wall are the remains of an altar by Agostino di Duccio
On the right nave is the Sacrament Chapel, designed by Alessi (1576), with an altarpiece of the Pentecost by
Madonna delle Grazie, by Giannicola di Paolo, a follower of Perugino. The right nave ends with the Chapel of St. Bernardino, enclosed by a 15th-century railing. Its altar houses the most important artwork of the church, a Deposition from the Cross by Federico Barocci
(1567–1569).
Sacristy
The sacristy
The sacristy was entirely frescoed by
Gian Antonio Pandolfi starting from 1573. The cloister houses several architectonic and sculpture fragments, including a head attributed to Giovanni Pisano
and a Renaissance bust of the Redeemer.
Cathedral Museum
The museum is home to a triptych by
Carlo Labruzzi
. It has also numerous precious manuscripts, some from the 10th century.
^TCI, Umbria 1966:79. A fifth bay was demolished in 1555; parts of the former Palazzo del Podestà, Braccio's seat of power, can be seen in the wall of the bishop's palace.
Statua di Giulio III.
Portale laterale.
Pulpito di San Bernardino.
