Sulmona Cathedral (, ''Basilica Cattedrale di San Panfilo'') 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 ...

Sulmona Sulmona (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of L'Aquila, in the Italy, Italian region of Abruzzo. It is located in the Valle Peligna, a plain once occupied by a lake that disappeared in prehistoric times. In the ancient era, it was ...

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 ...

, and is the seat of the Bishop of Sulmona-Valva (formerly of the Bishop of Sulmona).

History

Construction of the present building, in Romanesque style, began in 1075, although the site is older - a Roman temple is believed to have stood there - and what is now visible is the result of many more recent layers of architecture applied over centuries. The original dedication was to the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

, but many changes took place in the 12th century, among them a change of dedication to Saint Pamphilus, the patron saint of Sulmona. The cathedral was badly damaged in the earthquake of 1706, and rebuilt in 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 ...

form, some of which can still be seen despite more recent renovations. On 25 September 1818,

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...

granted the cathedral of S. Pamfilo in Sulmona the honorary title of "

minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

".''Bulliarii Romani Continuatio'' Tomus 25 (Rome 1853), pp. 118-119, no. DCCCXV.

Notes and references

External links

Sulmona.org: cathedral webpage
Churches in the province of L'Aquila 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1706 12th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Cathedrals in Abruzzo Roman Catholic cathedrals in Italy Sulmona {{Italy-RC-cathedral-stub