The Duomo Vecchio or Old Cathedral (also called "La Rotonda" because of its round layout) is a Roman Catholic church in

Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Ise ...

, Italy; the rustic circular Romanesque co-cathedral stands next to the Duomo Nuovo (New Cathedral) of Brescia. It is officially known as the ''Winter Co-Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta'', while the adjacent main cathedral is known as the ''Summer Cathedral''. It is one of the most important examples of Romanesque

round church A round church is a church construction with a completely circular plan. There are many Nordic round churches in Sweden and Denmark (notably the island of Bornholm); round churches were popular in Scandinavia in the 11th and early 12th centu ...

in Italy. While some claims for an earlier construction exist, the earliest documents state that construction of the cathedral started about 1100 on the site of a prior church with a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its nam ...

layout. It has a circular shape that became rare after the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described as ...

, and is one of the most prominent round churches of the period still remaining. There are 13th century

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of Mural, mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the ...

es on the interior walls, and a large canvas by Francesco Maffei showing the church with a bell tower, which has since collapsed. In the 19th century, many additions to the original medieval building were removed. The entrance portal is one later addition remaining. It contains the medieval Crypt of San Filastrio, in honor of the

beatified Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...

Brescian bishop. Near the entrance, rests the

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Gre ...

of Bishop Berardo Maggi (1308) made of red marble. The Duomo Vecchio contains ''l'Assunta'' (1526) and ''St. Luke, St. Mark and the sleeping Elijah'' (1533–1534) by Moretto da Brescia. It contains a ''Gathering Manna'' by Gerolamo Romanino and a ''Translation of the Bodies of Saints'' by Francesco Maffei.Turismo Brescia
website.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brescia Cathedral 12th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches in Brescia Romanesque architecture in Brescia Centralized-plan churches in Italy

See also

References