Comacchio Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Comacchio; Cattedrale di San Cassiano), also the Basilica of San Cassiano, is a
Baroque 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 ...
and
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 ...
dedicated to Saint
Cassian of Imola
Cassian, or Saint Cassian of Imola, or Cassius was a Christian saint of the 4th century. His feast day is August 13.
Life
Little is known about his life, although the traditional accounts converge on some of the details of his martyrdom. He was ...
(''San Cassiano'') in the city of
Comacchio Comacchio (; egl, label= Comacchiese, Cmâc' ) is a town and ''comune'' of Emilia Romagna, Italy, in the province of Ferrara, from the provincial capital Ferrara. It was founded about two thousand years ago; across its history it was first gove ...
, in the
province of Ferrara
The province of Ferrara ( it, provincia di Ferrara; egl, pruvîncia ad Fràra) is a province in the region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Its provincial capital is the city Ferrara. As of 2016, it has a population of 354,238 inhabitants over an area ...
,
Emilia-Romagna
egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title ...
, Italy. Formerly the seat of the bishops of Comacchio, it has been since 1986 a
co-cathedral in the
Archdiocese of Ferrara-Comacchio
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ferrara-Comacchio ( la, Archidioecesis Ferrariensis-Comaclensis) has existed since 1986, when the diocese of Comacchio was combined with the historical archdiocese of Ferrara. It is a suffragan of the archdioce ...
.
History
Dedicated to the patron of the town, this church stands on the site of the ancient
Romanesque cathedral built in 708 and torn down in 1694. Construction of the new cathedral began in 1659 under the
Bishop of Comacchio,
Sigismondo Isei, with consecration finally in 1740. In 1961 the church was made 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 ...
by
Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 28 Oc ...
.
Description
The brick facade with some Istrian stone is plain. The interior has twelve chapels, and the interior houses 18th-century canvases by
Biagio Bovi, a wooden crucifix by the 17th-century sculptor
Germano Cignani, and a 15th-century sculpture of Santa Lucia. The apse houses the 18th-century marble altar and the 16th-century wooden statue of the
Martyr Cassiano, patron of the town and diocese. Above the entry portal is the organ, built in 1728 in Modena by
Giovanni Domenico Traeri.
The bell-tower was built first in 1751 by
Giorgio Fossati but this collapsed in 1757. Reconstruction of a lower tower was completed by 1868.
Comune of Comacchio
, entry on churches.
See also
* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ferrara-Comacchio
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Comacchio
18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy
Roman Catholic cathedrals in Italy
Cathedrals in Emilia-Romagna
Baroque architecture in Emilia-Romagna
Churches in the province of Ferrara
Roman Catholic churches in Emilia-Romagna
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1740