Fossombrone Cathedral ( or ''dei Santi Aldebrando e Agostino''; ''Duomo di Fossombrone'') is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

cathedral dedicated to Saint Aldebrandus and

Saint Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berbers, Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia (Roman province), Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced th ...

located in the Piazza Mazzini at the end of Corso Garibaldi in the center of the town of

Fossombrone Fossombrone is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Pesaro and Urbino, in the Marche region of central Italy. History The ancient Roman colony of ''Forum Sempronii'' took its name from Gaius Sempronius Gracchus. Near the Furlo Pass, dur ...

in the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the region of Marche, Italy. Formerly the cathedral of the

Diocese of Fossombrone The Catholic diocese of Fossombrone (''Latin Name: Forosemproniensis'') existed in the Italian province of Pesaro and Urbino, in the comune of Fossombrone, in the valley of the Metaurus River, 25 km (15 mi) southwest of the Adriatic seaport of Fan ...

, since 1986 it has been a

co-cathedral A co-cathedral is a cathedral church which shares the function of being a bishop's seat, or ''cathedra'', with another cathedral, often in another city (usually a former see, anchor city of the metropolitan area or the civil capital). Instances o ...

of the Diocese of Fano-Fossombrone-Cagli-Pergola.

History

The church site was formerly that of a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

abbey. Between 1776 and 1784 the church was completely rebuilt in Neoclassical style, with the exception of the 15th-century

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 ...

, by the architect

Cosimo Morelli Cosimo Morelli (1732 – February 26, 1812) was an Italian architect, active throughout the Papal States in a Neoclassic style. Biography He was born at Imola. His father, also an architect, studied under Giovanni Domenico Trifogli. Cosimo is s ...

. It has a tall central façade with monumental columns supporting a triangular tympanum. The interior contains three naves with polychrome altars, made of marble and

scagliola Scagliola (from the Italian language, Italian ''scaglia'', meaning "chips") is a type of fine plaster used in architecture and sculpture. The same term identifies the technique for producing columns, sculptures, and other architectural elements t ...

, designed by Nicola Vici. The altarpieces depict: the ''Madonna and Child with Saints Joseph and Francis'' and a ''Madonna and Child with St Anne'' by

Giovanni Francesco Guerrieri Giovanni Francesco Guerrieri (1589–1655) was an Italian painter, and Caravaggisto. Guerrieri was born in Fossombrone. In 1606 he travelled to Rome where he studied under some notable artists including Orazio Gentileschi. Returning home in 161 ...

; as well as a ''Madonna and Child with Saints Anne and Aldebrandus'' by

Claudio Ridolfi Claudio Ridolfi (1560–1644), also known as Claudio Veronese, was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period. Biography Ridolfi was born in Verona to a noble family. He was active mainly in Rome and Urbino where he was a pupil of the p ...

. The niches inside have bas-reliefs with images of the Virgin and Child, and Saints Aldebrandus, Peter, Paul, and Blaise. The organ was constructed in 1785 by Gaetano Callido, with a restoration in 1996–97.Turismo Marche
, entry on church. In the first chapel on the left is a 14th-century fresco of the ''Madonna della Provvidenza'' by Guido Palmerucci. In the second chapel on the left is a ceramic depicting ''Santa Maria Goretti'' (1955) by Angelo Biancini, who also made the fourteen ceramic

Via Crucis The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

plaques along the nave. Near the apse is the Chapel of the Madonna of the Rosary (''cappella Passionei'') with a polychrome marble altar and small canvases depicting the miracles of the Rosary painted in the 18th century. This chapel houses Guerrieri's canvas depicting the ''Virgin, Child and St Anne'' (1627). On the other side of the church, the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament was designed and completed in marble and scagliola by Eugenio Buffoni in the 19th century. The main altarpiece depicts the ''Holy Trinity'' by an unknown 18th-century painter. Beneath the altar, an urn contains the relics of St Aldebrandus, patron of the city. The sacristy has a sculpted

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

(1480) made from sandstone by the sculptor Domenico Rosselli.

References

Churches in the Province of Pesaro and Urbino Roman Catholic churches in the Marche Cathedrals in the Marche Roman Catholic cathedrals in Italy 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1784 Neoclassical architecture in le Marche Neoclassical church buildings in Italy {{Marche-RC-church-stub