Ancona Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Ancona, ''Basilica Cattedrale Metropolitana di San Ciriaco'') is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...

, central

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, dedicated to Saint

Cyriacus Cyriacus ( el, Ἅγιος Κυριακός, fl. 303 AD), sometimes Anglicized as Cyriac, according to Christian tradition, is a Christian martyr who was killed in the Diocletianic Persecution. He is one of twenty-seven saints, most of them mart ...

. It is the seat of the

Archbishop of Ancona 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 archdio ...

. The building is an example of mixed Romanesque-Byzantine and

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

elements, and stands on the site of the former

acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

of the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

city, the Guasco hill which overlooks Ancona and its gulf.

History

Excavations carried on in 2016 proved that an Italic temple, perhaps dedicated to

Aphrodite Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion (emotion), passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman god ...

, existed on the site as early as the 3rd century BC. On top of it, in the 6th century AD, a Palaeo-Christian church was built: this had a nave and three aisles with the entrance facing south-east (where the current Chapel of the Crucifix is). Some remains of it still in existence include a mosaic pavement and perimeter walls. In 995–1015 a new church was built, which kept the original walls. In 1017 the renovated

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 name ...

received the

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tang ...

of Saint Marcellinus of Ancona and Saint Cyriacus. Further enlargement works occurred between the late 12th and the early 13th centuries, with the addition of a transept to obtain a

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a '' crucifix'' and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' ( ...

plan, and an entrance towards the south-west, resulting in the church now facing the port and the new road entering the city. The transepts were at a higher level than the previous nave, and had apses. The church, previously dedicated to

Saint Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman ...

, was re-dedicated to Saint Cyriacus the Martyr, the patron saint and (possibly) bishop of Ancona. Ancona San Ciriaco

In 1883 the basilica underwent a very impressive restoration by

Giuseppe Sacconi Giuseppe Sacconi (Montalto delle Marche, 5 July 1854 - 23 September 1905) was an Italian architect. He is best known as the designer of the monument of Vittorio Emanuele II, in the centre of Rome. Following the prestigious commission, he becam ...

, future superintendent of the monuments of

the Marches Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

and

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

from 1891 to 1902 and author of the project of the

Vittoriano The Victor Emmanuel II National Monument ( it, Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II), also known as Vittoriano or Altare della Patria ("Altar of the Fatherland"), is a large national monument built between 1885 and 1935 to honour Victor Em ...

. He restored it to its original austere medieval appearance, eliminating the decorations and overlapping plasters, which over the centuries had altered the original appearance of the church. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, on 24 May 1915, the basilica was damaged by a bombardment of the

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

fleet. The damage was restored in 1920, but in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Anglo-American aerial bombings destroyed the south transept and the Crypt of Tears under it, along with the art objects housed there. Once the transept was rebuilt, the church was officially reopened in 1951. Further damage was caused by an earthquake in 1972, followed by a new restoration and another official opening in 1977. In 1926 the cathedral was declared a

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

Description

Exterior

The edifice is built in white stone from

Mount Conero Monte Conero () or Mount Conero, also known as Monte d'Ancona (Mount of Ancona), is a promontory in Italy, situated directly south of the port of Ancona on the Adriatic Sea. The name ''Conero'' comes from the Greek name (''Kómaros'') and ind ...

, with apses protruding from the transept's ends and an elevated body, with a dome at the crossing, in correspondence to the nave. All the external surfaces feature a decoration of

Lombard band A Lombard band is a decorative blind arcade, usually located on the exterior of building. It was frequently used during the Romanesque and Gothic periods of Western architecture. It resembles a frieze of arches. Lombard bands are believed to ha ...

s. The bell tower is in an isolated position. It is mentioned from 1314 and was built above a pre-existing late 13th-century tower. Ancona, Duomo di San Ciriaco, X-XII secolo (13)

Ancona, Duomo di San Ciriaco, X-XII secolo (13)

Ancona, Duomo di San Ciriaco, X-XII secolo (15)

The façade, divided into three section, is preceded by a wide staircase; above it is a 13th-century Romanesque portal formed by a round arch supported by four columns. The anterior ones stand on lions in Veronese red marble, while the rear ones, added later by

Luigi Vanvitelli Luigi Vanvitelli (; 12 May 1700 – 1 March 1773), known in Dutch as (), was an Italian architect and painter. The most prominent 18th-century architect of Italy, he practised a sober classicising academic Late Baroque style that made an eas ...

, are on a simple pedestal. Under the arches are four reliefs depicting the symbols of the

Evangelists Evangelists may refer to: * Evangelists (Christianity), Christians who specialize in evangelism * Four Evangelists, the authors of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament * ''The Evangelists'', a controversial play See also * Evangelist ( ...

. The portal is attributed to Giorgio da Como (c. 1228), and is in Romanesque-Gothic style, built in Conero white stone from

and Veronese red marble. It is decorated by a series of columns holding ogival arches with reliefs of saints' busts, animal figures and vegetable motifs. Above the portal is a large

oculus Oculus (a term from Latin ''oculus'', meaning 'eye'), may refer to the following Architecture * Oculus (architecture), a circular opening in the centre of a dome or in a wall Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Oculus'' (film), a 2013 American s ...

with a Romanesque frame between two single

mullioned window A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...

s. The dome is one of the most ancient in Italy. It has an ogival shape with a dodecagonal drum, standing on a square base with small decorative arches. It was built over the crossing in the 13th century, and is attributed to

Margaritone d'Arezzo Margarito, Margaritone da Arezzo, or Margaritone d'Arezzo (''fl. c.'' 1250–1290) was an Italian painter from Arezzo in Tuscany. Margaritone's given name was Margarito, but it was transcribed erroneously by Vasari as "Margaritone". It is by ...

(1270). Together with the church of Sant'Antonio at

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of t ...

and

St. Mark's Basilica The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark ( it, Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco), commonly known as St Mark's Basilica ( it, Basilica di San Marco; vec, Baxéłega de San Marco), is the cathedral church of the Catholic Chu ...

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

, it was one of the few contemporary examples of domes built in churches, instead than in separate baptisteries. The copper cover was added in the 16th century.

Interior

The interior is on the

plan. All the arms are divided into a nave and two aisles, with re-used antique Roman columns with Byzantine capitals. At the crossing is the internal part of the dome, which has

pendentive In architecture, a pendentive is a constructional device permitting the placing of a circular dome over a square room or of an elliptical dome over a rectangular room. The pendentives, which are triangular segments of a sphere, taper to point ...

s with Byzantine-style figures of praying angels. The dome is supported by cruciform cluster piers. The side arms of the transept end in elevated apses, while the central arm of the presbytery lost the original apse during the enlargement works of the 18th century. All the naves have hull-shaped, painted wooden vaults dating from the 15th century. At the beginning of the northern nave is the monument to a

Fermo Fermo (ancient: Firmum Picenum) is a town and ''comune'' of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo. Fermo is on a hill, the Sabulo, elevation , on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway. History The oldest hum ...

warrior from 1530. The south transept is home to the Chapel of the Crucifix. Its screens (''transennae'') are formed by tiles with

sgraffito ''Sgraffito'' (; plural: ''sgraffiti'') is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colours to a moistened surface, or in pottery, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive laye ...

decoration from a balustrade of 1189. They depict, on the left,

Jeremiah Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning "Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewis ...

and

Habakkuk Habakkuk, who was active around 612 BC, was a prophet whose oracles and prayer are recorded in the Book of Habakkuk, the eighth of the collected twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible. He is revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Almost a ...

; the Eternal Father and the Blessed Virgin; an angel and Saint

John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης, Iōánnēs; Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ; ar, يوحنا الإنجيلي, la, Ioannes, he, יוחנן cop, ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ or ⲓⲱ̅ⲁ) is the name traditionally given t ...

; and Saint Cyriacus; and, on the right, figures of animals: two

crane Crane or cranes may refer to: Common meanings * Crane (bird), a large, long-necked bird * Crane (machine), industrial machinery for lifting ** Crane (rail), a crane suited for use on railroads People and fictional characters * Crane (surname) ...

s on a pomegranate tree, an eagle, two peacocks on a tree and two gryphons. In the Crypt of Tears below, rebuilt after the devastation of World War II, are remains of ancient structures. The presbytery's arms house, in the northern aisles, the sepulchre of Blessed

Girolamo Ginelli Girolamo is an Italian variant of the name Hieronymus. Its English equivalent is Jerome. It may refer to: * Girolamo Cardano (1501–1576), Italian Renaissance mathematician, physician, astrologer and gambler * Girolamo Cassar (c. 1520 – a ...

(d. 1506), made in 1509 by

Giovanni Dalmata Giovanni Dalmata ( hr, Ivan Duknović; c. 1440 – c. 1514), born Ioannes Stephani Duknovich de Tragurio, also known as Giovanni Duknovich di Traù in Italy and Ivan Stjepanov Duknović in Croatia, was a sculptor from Trogir, Dalmatia, who was m ...

. The northern transept houses the Madonna Chapel, with a lavishly decorated niche designed by

in 1739, which is the site of a venerated 17th century image of the Madonna. Under the chapel is a crypt with the remains of

Saint Cyriacus Cyriacus ( el, Ἅγιος Κυριακός, fl. 303 AD), sometimes Anglicized as Cyriac, according to Christian tradition, is a Christian martyr who was killed in the Diocletianic Persecution. He is one of twenty-seven saints, most of them mart ...

(in a marble case), Saints Liberius and Marcellinus (in Sicilian jasper) and the ashes of

Saint Palatia Palatias and Laurentia ( it, Sante Palazia e Laurenzia, Lorenza) (died 302 AD) are martyrs venerated by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. According to tradition, Palatias or Palatia was an aristocratic Roman woman who was conver ...

. The urns with bronze festoons were designed and executed between 1757 and 1760 by

Gioacchino Varlè Gioacchino is a masculine Italian given name, equivalent to the English Joachim. Notable people with the name include: * Gioacchino Assereto (1600–1649), Italian painter * Gioacchino Cocchi (1720–1804), Italian composer * Gioacchino Colombo ...

Photos

File:S, Ciriaco AN vista ingresso.JPG, Main entrance File:AN S.Ciriaco ingresso..JPG, Main entrance File:Ancona S.Ciriaco leone.JPG, Lion to the left of the entrance File:S.Ciriaco leone.JPG, The same File:Ancona S.Ciriaco leoni.JPG, Both lions at the entrance File:Ancona S.Ciriaco ingresso laterale.JPG, Side entrance File:Ancona S.Ciriaco campanile.JPG, Campanile File:AN S. Ciriaco sinistra.JPG, Portico from the south File:AN Duomo posteriore.JPG, East end File:Scalone Nappi AN.JPG, The Nappi stairs File:Ancona S.Ciriaco museo diocesano.JPG, Museum entrance File:S. Ciriaco cortile museo.JPG, Museum courtyard

Sources

External links

Page at Medioevo.org art website
{{Authority control Religious buildings and structures completed in 1017 11th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches in Ancona Romanesque architecture in le Marche Gothic architecture in le Marche Byzantine architecture Roman Catholic cathedrals in Italy Cathedrals in the Marche Minor basilicas in Marche Church buildings with domes