Lecce Cathedral (; ''Cattedrale dell'Assunzione della Virgine'') is the

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

of the city of

Lecce Lecce (; ) is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old. Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is n ...

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

, Italy, dedicated to the

Assumption of the Virgin Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows: It leaves open the question of whether Mary died or whether she was ra ...

. It is the seat of the

Archbishop of Lecce In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

History

The cathedral was first built in 1144, but underwent repairs in 1230. It was rebuilt in 1659 by the architect

Giuseppe Zimbalo Giuseppe Zimbalo (1620–1710) was an Italian architect and sculptor. Known as ''Lo Zingarello'' ("Tiny Gypsy"), he was one of the most prominent artists in the so-called Baroque of Lecce Lecce (; ) is a city in southern Italy and capita ...

by order of bishop Luigi Pappacoda, whose remains are kept in the altar dedicated to Saint

Orontius of Lecce Saint Orontius of Lecce (, sometimes or ; Leccese: ) is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church, along with two other figures associated with his legend, Fortunatus and Justus. He is viewed as the first bishop of Lecce. Legend A twelfth- ...

, the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of the city.

Description

Location and Exterior

The cathedral is located in the center of the city of Lecce and sits on the southeast corner of the Piazza del Duomo. It is accessible from the piazza through two entrances, one on the north side of the building and another on the west side. The cathedral shares the piazza with other buildings, including the bell tower, the bishop's residence, and the seminary. The principal entrance is found on the northern façade, which is considered to be a masterpiece of

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

art. At the center is the portal, accessible by a cascading staircase. Flanking the portal are two massive columns on square bases, outside of which are niches containing statues of Saint Giusto (on the right) and Saint Fortunato (on the left). The entablature, sitting directly above the portal, is crowned by a high balustrade alternating with columns and pilasters, above which, in the center and standing within a grand and highly decorated arch, is a statue of Saint Orontius. The western entrance, found directly across from the archbishop's residence, is divided by fluted pilasters into three vertical sections corresponding to the three naves of the interior. Statues of Peter and Paul flank the entrance. Part of the right side of the façade is covered by an adjacent diocesan building. Lecce - Duomo - 03.jpg, Details of the Northern façade Lecce - Duomo - 04.jpg, Pediment of the Northern façade Lecce - Duomo - 11.jpg, The Western portal Lecce - Night - 03.jpg, The cathedral at night

Interior

The cathedral has a Latin cross plan with three naves divided by pilasters and columns, and the main altar is placed at the eastern end of the church. The central nave and the

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

s are covered by a wooden ceiling with coffers created in 1685 along with paintings by Giuseppe da Brindisi which show: the ''Preaching of Saint Orontius'', the ''Protection from the Plague'', the ''Martyrdom of Saint Orontius'', and the ''Last Supper''. The cathedral contains twelve side chapels, each with its own altar. The side chapels are dedicated to (starting on the left side of the nave): *

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

(1682) *

Nativity of Jesus The Nativity or birth of Jesus Christ is found in the biblical gospels of Gospel of Matthew, Matthew and Gospel of Luke, Luke. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Palestine, in Herodian kingdom, Roman-controlled Judea, th ...

which contains a 16th-century creche * the martyrdom of Saint Giusto (1674) *

Saint Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua, OFM, (; ; ) or Anthony of Lisbon (; ; ; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and member of the Order of Friars Minor. Anthony was born and raised by a wealth ...

(also from 1674) * the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Debated by medieval theologians, it was not def ...

(1689) * Saint Philip Romolo Neri (1690) * the

Crucifixion of Jesus The crucifixion of Jesus was the death of Jesus by being crucifixion, nailed to a cross.The instrument of Jesus' crucifixion, instrument of crucifixion is taken to be an upright wooden beam to which was added a transverse wooden beam, thus f ...

and the

Blessed Sacrament The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

(1780) * Saint Orontius of Lecce (1671) *

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows (), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows (), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are Titles of Mary, names by which Mary, mother of Jesus, is referr ...

* Saint Giusto (1656) *

Saint Charles Borromeo Charles Borromeo (; ; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was an Italian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584. He was made a cardinal in 1560. Borromeo founded the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and was a ...

Saint Andrew the Apostle Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Church stems from the Gospel of Jo ...

(1687) They are pictorially rich with images by talented artists including Giuseppe da Brindisi, Oronzo Tiso, Gianserio Strafella, G. Domenico Catalano and G. A. Coppola. The main altar is made of marble and gold-plated bronze, and was constructed by bishop Sersale. It was consecrated in 1757 by bishop Sozi Carafa, who also commissioned the large central painting, ''the Assumption of Mary'' by Oronzo Tiso (1757) as well as the two lateral images of the ''Sacrifice of the Prophet Elias'' and the ''Sacrifice of Noah after the Flood'' (1758). The choir stalls and bishop's chair, made of walnut, were designed by Emanuele Manieri and were commissioned by bishop Fabrizio Pignatelli in 1797. The 12th century cathedral crypt underwent Baroque modifications in the 16th century. It has a longitudinal space that contains two Baroque chapels with paintings that is crossed by a long corridor consisting of ninety-two columns with capitals decorated with human figures.

Bell tower

The

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

was constructed in 1661–1662 by Lecce architect Giuseppe Zimbalo at the request of bishop Luigi Pappacoda. It was built to replace the previous Norman bell tower, erected by Goffredo d'Altavilla, which crumbled at the beginning of the 17th century. It has a square shape and appears to be made up of five tapered levels, the last of which is surmounted by an octagonal

majolica In different periods of time and in different countries, the term ''majolica'' has been used for two distinct types of pottery. Firstly, from the mid-15th century onwards, ''maiolica'' was a type of pottery reaching Italy from Spain, Majorca a ...

dome, on which there is an iron statue of Sant'Oronzo. The top four floors have a single window on each side, and each has a balustrade going completely around its perimeter. Engraved on plaques located over the mullioned windows are Latin inscriptions taken from the writings of Giovanni Lecce Camillo Palma. At a height of 72 meters,Cattedrale di Lecce
the bell tower offers views of the Adriatic Sea, and on clear days even the mountains of Albania are visible. It leans slightly due to a partly sunken foundation.

References

Sources

*''Lecce elegia del Barocco'', Michele Paone, Congedo Editore, Galatina (Lecce) 1999

External links

Diocese of Lecce official website
* ttps://www.lecce360.com/zoom/campanile_Pre_Restauro/ Panorama of the campanile before restorationbr>Panorama of the cathedral entrance
{{Coord, 40, 21, N, 18, 10, E, type:landmark_source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title Roman Catholic cathedrals in Italy Roman Catholic churches in Apulia Churches in the province of Lecce

Cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

12th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Baroque architecture in Apulia Roman Catholic churches completed in 1659 1659 establishments in Italy Cathedrals in Apulia