Foligno Cathedral () is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

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 ...

situated on the Piazza della Repubblica in the center of

Foligno Foligno (; Central Italian, Southern Umbrian: ''Fuligno'') is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennine Mountains, Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clit ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The cathedral, built on the site of an earlier

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

, is dedicated to the patron saint of the city, the martyr Felician of Foligno (San Feliciano), who was buried here in 251 AD. It is the seat of the Bishop of Foligno. It contains the

cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...

for the Diocese of Foligno.

History

The church was built in Romanesque style in the period 1133–1201. Bishop Marco began the construction in 1133. The renewed church was consecrated in 1149 by Cardinal Giulio di San Marcello. The cathedral has two façades, the principal façade, or west front, facing the ''Piazza Grande'', and the secondary façade facing the ''Piazza della Repubblica''. The north transept and the secondary façade were commissioned in 1204 by Bishop Anselmo degli Atti, as attested by an inscription on the façade. The south transept was opened in 1513, giving the church its present Latin cross configuration.

Façade

The principal façade was built in 1133, soon after Foligno had become a

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

. The upper tympanum is an addition from the 16th century. This façade was restored in 1904, when the mosaic in the tympanum, made in the workshop of the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

, was added. It shows Christ enthroned between Saints Felician and Messalina, with

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

, who had commissioned the mosaic, praying on his knees. The corners of the square around the

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...

are decorated with the evangelistic symbols. The bronze door is flanked by two stone lions. The secondary façade on the ''Piazza della Repubblica'' dates from 1201. It was commissioned by bishop Anselmo and is the work of the sculptors and architects Rodolfo and Binello. The upper part was finished by Ugolino III Trinci in the 14th century. It was enlarged in the 15th century and restored to something resembling the original in 1904 by the architect Vincenzo Benvenuti. It has multiple arches and three rose windows, of which the centre one, with its double pillars on the outside and twisted pillars on the inside, is among the most beautiful in

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

. The two stone

griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (; Classical Latin: ''gryps'' or ''grypus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk ...

s underneath were sculpted to commemorate the victory of Foligno over

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

. The carved wooden door is surrounded by five Romanesque arches decorated with bas-reliefs, representing

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...

and

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216. Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...

. The innermost arch is decorated with the signs of the zodiac, the stars, the sun, the moon, the hours and the attributes of the Four Evangelists. An inscription in the keystone of the upper arch says that "the stars, the sun, and the moon revealed a time of purity”. A new epoch of harmony was expected to begin between the Church and the Holy Roman Empire, as

had just recognized Otto of Brunswick as Emperor

Otto IV Otto IV (1175 – 19 May 1218) was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 until his death in 1218. Otto spent most of his early life in England and France. He was a follower of his uncle Richard the Lionheart, who made him Count of Poitou in 1196 ...

of the Holy Roman Empire. The Gothic building on the left of the main façade is the

baptistery In Church architecture, Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek language, Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned ...

of the cathedral. The steps next to it lead to the ''Palazzo delle Canoniche'' (Palace of the Canons).

Interior

The interior of the cathedral has been redesigned and restored on several occasions. Its present grandiose interior is Neoclassical. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

was enlarged in 1513 in the form of a Latin cross, and modified in the 16th century. The present appearance of the cathedral is attributable to the reconstruction by architect

Giuseppe Piermarini Giuseppe Piermarini (; 18 July 1734 – 18 February 1808) was an Italian architect who trained with Luigi Vanvitelli in Naples and designed the Teatro alla Scala in Milan (1776–78), which remains the work by which he is chiefly remembered. I ...

(1734–1808) who removed earlier alterations. This local architect worked from the plans drawn by the architect and engineer Luigi Vanvitelli. Of the ancient Romanesque church, only the crypt remains. The cathedral was modified again at the beginning of the 20th century. Among the most important works of art in the cathedral is the Chapel of the Sacrament by

Antonio da Sangallo the Younger Antonio da Sangallo the Younger (12 April 14843 August 1546), also known as Antonio Cordiani, was an Italian architect active during the Renaissance, mainly in Rome and the Papal States. One of his most popular projects that he worked on des ...

(1527). Vespasiano Strada and Baldassare Croce painted in this chapel two large frescoes depicting the life of San Feliciano. This saint is also represented by an elaborate silver statue. The canvases on the side walls date from the 13th - 19th centuries. The large fresco of

Angela of Foligno Angela of Foligno (1248 – 4 January 1309) was an Italian Third Order of Saint Francis, Franciscan tertiary who became known as a Christian mysticism, mystic from her extensive writings about her mystical Private revelation, revelations. Due to ...

in the

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

dates from 1719 and is the work of Francesco Mancini (1679–1758). Among the other works of art are a ''Crucifixion'', painted on wood by

Niccolò Alunno Niccolò di Liberatore, known as L'Alunno (also Niccolò di Liberatore and Niccolò da Foligno; the name is sometimes spelled Nicolò) (1430–1502) was an Italian painter of the Umbrian school. Life and career He was born at Foligno, the son o ...

and two busts of Roscioli spouses by the great

Gian Lorenzo Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, ; ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680) was an Italians, Italian sculptor and Italian architect, architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prom ...

. The gilded Baroque

baldachin A baldachin, or baldaquin (from ), is a canopy of state typically placed over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent Architecture, architectural feature, particularly over Alta ...

over the main altar, built in the 18th century by Antonio Calcioni for the benefit of the family Salvi Roscioli, is a faithful reproduction of Bernini's ''baldacchino'' in

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initiall ...

in Rome. The arms of the Roscioli family appear at the base of the columns. Twenty-six

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

statues of saints, the work of Brunelli and Ottaviani, are ranged in niches along the walls along with a new work by Cody Swanson depicting Saint Emygdius. This modern addition was commissioned by Giuseppe Betori, Cardinal of Florence, as a gift to replace an earlier version destroyed during the Second World War. The elegant dome was added to the cathedral during the period 1543-1548 by the architect and woodworker Giuliano di Baccio d'Agnolo and Cola di Caprarola. The upper part of the bell tower of the cathedral was renovated in 1847 by the architect Vitali, while the lower part is still original. Inside the

campanile 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 ...

is the cell where the Blessed Pietro Crisci lived, decorated with frescoes from the 15th century. It was in this cathedral that

made her confession to the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

Brother Arnaldo. This was a turning point in her life, as she embarked on the way of penance. Brother Arnaldo later became the writer of her revelations in the ''Book of Visions and Instructions''. During the 1997 earthquake, the cathedral suffered heavy damage, including the detachment of the façade, and was reopened in 1999. Damaged again during the 2016 earthquake, it is now closed and waiting for new works.

Footnotes

References

*''Valle Umbria: history, art, culture and tradition'', nd: booklet by the Servizio turistico associato, Foligno
Key to Umbria : the Cathedral of Foligno
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Foligno Cathedral Buildings and structures completed in 1201 Churches completed in the 1200s 13th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic cathedrals in Italy Cathedrals in Umbria Roman Catholic churches in Foligno Romanesque architecture in Umbria Gothic architecture in Umbria