Perugia Cathedral (), officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Lawrence (), 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
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 ...
in
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 ...
,
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 ...
, central
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 ...
, dedicated to
Saint Lawrence
Saint Lawrence or Laurence (; 31 December 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 Christians, persecution of the Christians that the Roman Empire, Rom ...
. Formerly the seat of the bishops and archbishops of Perugia, it has been since 1986 the archiepiscopal seat of the
Archdiocese of Perugia-Città della Pieve.
History
From the establishment of the
bishopric
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
, a cathedral existed in Perugia in different locations, until, in 936-1060, a new edifice, corresponding to the
transept
A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
of the present cathedral, was built here. The current cathedral, dedicated from the beginning as the ''Cathedral of San Lorenzo and Sant'Ercolano'' dates from a project of 1300 by
Fra Bevignate that was initiated in 1345 and completed in 1490. The external decoration in white and pink marble lozenges (adapted from
Arezzo Cathedral
Arezzo Cathedral () is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Arezzo in Tuscany, Italy. It is located on the site of a pre-existing Palaeo-Christian church and, perhaps, of the ancient city's acropolis.
History
The first cathedral of Arezzo ...
) was never completed; a trial section can still be seen on the main façade.
Overview
Exterior
Unlike most cathedrals, the cathedral of Perugia has its flank on the city's main square, facing the
Fontana Maggiore
The ''Fontana Maggiore'', a masterpiece of medieval sculpture, placed in the centre of Piazza IV Novembre (formerly Piazza Grande), is the monument symbol of the city of Perugia.
History
The monumental fountain was designed by Frà Bevignate ...
and the
Palazzo dei Priori
The Palazzo dei Priori or comunale is one of the best examples in Italy of a public palace from the communal era (11th century). It is located in the central Piazza IV Novembre in Perugia, Umbria. It extends along up to Via Boncambi. It still h ...
. This side is characterized by the ''
Loggia di Braccio'' commissioned by
Braccio da Montone (1423), an early Renaissance structure attributed to Fioravante Fioravanti from
Bologna
Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
. It formerly formed part of the Palazzo del Podestà, which burned in 1534. Under it a section of Roman wall and the basement of the old
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 ...
can be seen. It houses also the ''Pietra della Giustizia'' ("Justice Stone") bearing a 1234 inscription by which the commune announced that all the public debt had been repaid. Also on this side is a statue of
Pope Julius III
Pope Julius III (; ; 10 September 1487 – 23 March 1555), born Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 February 1550 to his death, in March 1555.
After a career as a disting ...
by
Vincenzo Danti
Vincenzo Danti (1530 – 26 May 1576) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor from Perugia.
His father was an architect and goldsmith, and Vincenzo developed an interest in drawing and goldsmithing. In 1545 he went to Rome to study sculpture and ...
(1555); Julius was a hero to Perugia for having restored the local magistrature, which had been suppressed by
Paul III
Pope Paul III (; ; born Alessandro Farnese; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death, in November 1549.
He came to the papal throne in an era follo ...
. Until the end of the nineteenth century the statue was more prominently placed in the Piazza Danti (square), but it was repositioned to the side in order to make way for the
electric tram
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include segment ...
which was inaugurated in 1899. In the unfinished wall is a portal designed by
Galeazzo Alessi
Galeazzo Alessi (1512 – 30 December 1572) was an Italian architect from Perugia, known throughout Europe for his distinctive style based on his enthusiasm for ancient architecture. He studied drawing for civil and military architecture under th ...
(1568), a pulpit composed of ancient fragments and
Cosmatesque
Cosmatesque, or Cosmati, is a style of geometric decorative inlay stonework typical of the architecture of Medieval Italy, and especially of Rome and its surroundings. It was used most extensively for the decoration of church floors, but was also ...
mosaics, from which Saint
Bernardino of Siena
Bernardino of Siena, Order of Friars Minor, OFM (Bernardine or Bernadine; 8 September 138020 May 1444), was an Catholic Church in Italy, Italian Catholic priest and Franciscan missionary preacher in Italy. He was a systematizer of Scholasticism, ...
preached in 1425 and 1427 and a wooden Crucifix by Polidoro Ciburri (1540).
The main façade faces the smaller Piazza Danti; in it is a
baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
portal designed by
Pietro Carattoli in 1729. The sturdy campanile was constructed in 1606-1612.
File:Statua_di_Gulio_III_-_Duomo_di_Perugia.jpg, Statua di Giulio III.
File:Duomo_di_Perugia_3.JPG, Portale laterale.
File:Pulpito_of_the_cathedral_of_San_Lorenzo_in_Perugia.jpg, Pulpito di San Bernardino.
Interior
The interior is of the ''
Chiesa a sala'' type, 68 m in length, with a nave and two aisles of the same height; the nave is twice as wide as the aisles. On the counterfaçade is the sarcophagus of bishop Giovanni Andrea Baglioni (died 1451), attributed to
Urbano da Cortona.
The first chapel is dedicated to the
Holy Ring, the relic of the wedding ring of the Holy Virgin, which was stolen from
Chiusi
Chiusi ( Etruscan: ''Clevsin''; Umbrian: ''Camars''; Ancient Greek: ''Klysion'', ''Κλύσιον''; Latin: ''Clusium'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy.
History
Clusium (''Clevsin or Camars'' in Etruscan) ...
in 1473. The chapel had once frescoes by
Pinturicchio
Pinturicchio, or Pintoricchio (, ; born Bernardino di Betto; 1454–1513), also known as Benetto di Biagio or Sordicchio, was an Italian Renaissance painter. He acquired his nickname (meaning "little painter") because of his small stature a ...
and a painting by
Perugino
Pietro Perugino ( ; ; born Pietro Vannucci or Pietro Vanucci; – 1523), an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael became his most famous ...
, now in the museum of
Caen
Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...
. It also houses a
reliquary
A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', ''Chasse (casket), chasse'', or ''phylactery'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary, or the room in which one is stored, may also be called a ''feretory''.
Relics may be the purported ...
by
Bino di Pietro and Federico and Cesarino del Roscetto, considered amongst the masterworks of Italian Renaissance goldsmiths' work. Continuing on the side wall are the remains of an altar by
Agostino di Duccio
Agostino di Duccio (1418 – ) was an early Renaissance Italian sculptor.
Born in Florence, he worked in Prato with Donatello and Michelozzo, who influenced him greatly. In 1441, he was accused of stealing precious materials from a Florent ...
(1473), demolished in 1623.

Notable is 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 ' ...
, with a wooden choir with
intarsia
Intarsia is a form of wood inlaying that is similar to marquetry. The practice dates from before the seventh century AD. The technique inserts sections of wood (at times with contrasting ivory or bone, or mother-of-pearl) within the solid wood ...
by
Giuliano da Maiano
Giuliano da Maiano (1432–1490) was an Italian architect, intarsia-worker, and sculptor, the elder brother of Benedetto da Maiano, with whom he often collaborated.
Biography
He was born in the village of Maiano, near Fiesole, where his fath ...
and
Domenico del Tasso
Domenico is an Italian given name for males and may refer to:
People
* Domenico Alfani, Italian painter
* Domenico Allegri, Italian composer
* Domenico Alvaro, Italian mobster
* Domenico Ambrogi, Italian painter
* Domenico Auria, Italian arc ...
(1486–91), which was damaged by a fire in 1985. The right transept has an altarpiece by
Giovanni Baglione
Giovanni Baglione (; 1566 – 30 December 1643) was an Italian Late Mannerist and Early Baroque painter and art historian. Although a prolific painter, Baglione is best remembered for his encyclopedic collection of biographies of the o ...
(1609). Two small side doors lead to Oratory of St. Onofrio, built to house
altarpiece with the same name by
Luca Signorelli
Luca Signorelli ( – 16 October 1523) was an Italian Renaissance painter from Cortona, in Tuscany, who was noted in particular for his ability as a draftsman and his use of foreshortening. His massive frescos of the ''Last Judgment'' (1499–15 ...
, now in the Cathedral Museum.
On the right nave is the Sacrament Chapel, designed by Alessi (1576), with an altarpiece of the ''Pentecost'' by
Cesare Nebbia
Cesare Nebbia (c.1536–c.1614) was an Italian Mannerism, Mannerist painter from Orvieto.
Biography
Nebbia was born in Orvieto. He trained with Girolamo Muziano, with whom he helped complete a flurry of decoration that was added to the Cathe ...
(1563); a marble sarcophagus contains the remains of
Pope Martin IV
Pope Martin IV (; born Simon de Brion; 1210/1220 – 28 March 1285), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 February 1281 until his death in 1285. He was the last French pope to hold his court in Rome before ...
, who died at Perugia in 1285, and relics of Innocent III and Urban IV.
[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11736a.htm "Archdiocese of Perugia"] The next bay leads to the Baptistery Chapel, with a Renaissance perspective view in marble by Pietro di Paolo di Andrea da Como (1477). In front of it, is the venerated image of the ''
Madonna delle Grazie
Our Lady of Graces (Italian: ''Madonna delle Grazie'' or ''Nostra Signora delle Grazie'') or Saint Mary of Graces (Italian: ''Santa Maria delle Grazie'') is a devotion to the Virgin Mary in the Roman Catholic Church. Several churches with this d ...
'', by
Giannicola di Paolo, a follower of Perugino. The right nave ends with the Chapel of St. Bernardino, enclosed by a 15th-century railing. Its altar houses the most important artwork of the church, a ''Deposition from the Cross'' by
Federico Barocci
Federico Barocci (also written Barozzi) ( – 30 September 1612) was an Italian Renaissance painter and printmaker. His original name was Federico Fiori, and he was nicknamed Il Baroccio. His work was highly esteemed and influential, and foresha ...
(1567–1569).
Sacristy
The sacristy was entirely frescoed by
Gian Antonio Pandolfi starting from 1573. The cloister houses several architectonic and sculpture fragments, including a head attributed to
Giovanni Pisano
Giovanni Pisano () was an Italian sculptor, painter and architect, who worked in the cities of Pisa, Siena and Pistoia. He is best known for his sculpture which shows the influence of both the French Gothic and the Ancient Roman art. Henry Mo ...
and a Renaissance bust of the Redeemer.
Cathedral Museum
The museum is home to a triptych by
Meo da Siena, a ''Madonna ''by
Andrea Vanni and a triptych by
Agnolo Gaddi
Agnolo Gaddi (c.1350–1396) was an Italian painter. He was born and died in Florence, and was the son of the painter Taddeo Gaddi, who was himself the major pupil of the Florentine master Giotto.
Agnolo was a painter and mosaicist, traine ...
, as well as the notable altarpiece by Signorelli. It has a ''Marriage of the Virgin'' (1815) by
Carlo Labruzzi
Carlo Labruzzo (1748–1817) was an Italian painter, primarily of landscapes who was born in Rome.
In 1798, he was nominated professor at the Academy of Fine Arts of Perugia, and in 1812, he became director. He died in Perugia in December 1817. H ...
. It has also numerous precious manuscripts, some from the 10th century.
Next to it, the ''Sala del Dottorato'' has frescoes portraying
Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII (, , ; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death, in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Papacy, Avignon Pope, elected by ...
between the emperors
Charles IV and
Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...
.
Notes
References
*
*
*Cinzia Rando (redazione e realizzazione): ''Umbria.'' Guide d'Italia. Touring Club Italiano, Milano 2001, p. 45-48, .
External links
Museum's website
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures completed in 1490
Churches completed in the 1490s
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 ...
Roman Catholic cathedrals in Italy
Cathedrals in Umbria
Sites of papal elections
Burial places of popes
15th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy