Pistoia Cathedral
| Pistoia Cathedral Cattedrale di San Zeno | |
|---|---|
Roman Catholic | |
| Province | Diocese of Pistoia |
| Region | Tuscany |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Cathedral |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Pistoia, Italy |
| Geographic coordinates | 43°56′00″N 10°55′04″E / 43.933219°N 10.9179°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Church |
| Style | Romanesque, Baroque |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | West |
| Dome(s) | 1 |
Pistoia Cathedral, or Cathedral of Saint Zeno (
Most probably built in the 10th century, it has a façade in
History
It has been speculated that a smaller cathedral may have existed in Pistoia as early as the 5th century, as it already had a bishop at that time. The location of such a building is however unknown: possible sites are those of the current cathedral, of the
The first mention of a cathedral dates to 923. In 998 a diploma of Emperor
Between 1379 and 1440 the façade was reconstructed with the addition of three tiers of loggias and a portico. In 1504 Andrea della Robbia was commissioned to undertake the decoration of the archivolt (for which he created a festoon with plant themes and, in the middle, the crest of the Opera di San Jacopo), of the portico as well as of the lunette with bas-reliefs over the central portal, depicting the "Madonna with Child and Angels". He finished the works in 1505.
In 1598–1614 the medieval
Interior
The presbytery pavement is raised, housing the
Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament
The Chapel of the
Crucifix Chapel
This chapel contains the altar of Saint James, in
The two side
Filippo Brunelleschi decorated the front part with two busts of prophets (1401). The other sides were decorated by Piero d'Antonio da Pisa and Domenico da Imola.
Aisles
Works in the south aisle include:
- Triptych of Crucifixion between the Madonna, Sts. John, Jerome and James' (1424), by an unknown artist.
- A copy of the Annunciation by Domenico Cresti
- The precious Crucifixion (1274) by Coppo di Marcovaldo and his son Salerno. It includes six panels with the Capture of Jesus, Christ in Front of the Priests, Deposition, Deposition of Jesus in the Sepulchre, The Three Marys at the Sepulchre
- Tomb of Agostino di Giovanni
Works in the north aisle include:
- Lorenzo Lotti, known as il Lorenzetto, finished the work by sculpting the statue of Charity. The current surround and other details were executed in 1753.
- Madonna delle Porrine, 14th-century fresco by an unknown artist.
- Statue of Pope Leo XI, bishop of Pistoia in 1573 (1618), also from an unknown artist.
- Tomb of bishop Federico Alamanni (1776), by an unknown artist.
- Martyrdom of St. Bartolomew, by an unknown artist (17th century).
Presbytery
The vault of the presbytery is decorated by frescoes by Domencio Cresti, depicting the Father in Glory, Fall of the Rebel Angels, Fall of Adam and the Annunciation (1602). The organ is from 1793.
In the apse is a painting by Cristofano Allori portraying the Resurrection (1606–1610), beside which are two clay statues of Saint Zeno and Saint James (1609), attributed to the school of Giambologna. To the right of the high altar is a Pentecost by Gregorio Pagani (1602), while on the left is an Ascension by Benedetto Veli (1606).
Salerno di Coppo executed the fresco of the Madonna and Child on the pilaster in the nave (1475). On the right is a bronze candelabrum by Maso di Bartolomeo (1442), while in the left aisle is the cenotaph of bishop Gherardo Gherardi (1703) and, in the right one, the tomb of bishop Alessandro Del Caccia (1650), and the funerary monument of bishop Leone Strozzi (1695), both by unknown sculptors.
The pulpit was designed by
Others
The Chapel of the Last Judgement houses fragments of a fresco by Giovanni da Ponte, dating to 1420–1425. The lateral wall fragments have recently been identified as a depiction of Dante's Inferno.[7]
The crypt is that of the Romanesque building, and was originally divided into a central and side spaces by columns, and had three apses. After the construction of the Baroque tribune, the central room was destroyed and the side ones buried. After the 1960s restoration, here were found two capitals, fragments of columns, fragments of 12th-century frescoes, and two marble slabs from the late 12th century.
The counter-façade houses the Arch of St. Atto, with three marble bas-reliefs from 1337. The baptismal font, to a design by Benedetto da Maiano (1497), can be seen on the left of the main entrance. In the tympanum over the latter is also a 13th-century fresco by an unknown 13th-century master, while next to the right entrance are frescoes of the Virtues by Bonaccorso di Cino (1347) and, near the left entrance, the tomb of Bishop Baronto Ricciardi (14th century).
Footnotes
- ^ Zaccaria, Raffaella (2009). "MEDICI, Nicola de'". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (in Italian). Retrieved 5 Nov 2020.
- ^ Najemy, John M. (2008). A History of Florence 1200–1575. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publishing. p. 289–290.
- ProQuest 303391573.
- ISBN 978-1-89312-232-1.
- ^ "Bishop Donato de' Medici" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 5 Nov 2020
- ISBN 9781135948801.
- ^ Leon Jacobowitz-Efron, “Dante in Pistoia: The Frescoes of the Cappella del Giudizio.” Quaderni Storici volume 140, Issue 2 (August 2012): 443–469.
External links
- Diocese of Pistoia website: plan of the cathedral (in Italian)
- History and description of the building (in Italian)
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