Pesaro - Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta

 

The cathedral is along Via Rossini. The first early Christian cathedral of Pesaro dated back to the 5th century and it was within the perimeter of the ancient Roman city. 

In 1503 the bell tower was destroyed by Cesare Borgia, so the presbytery and the apse were rebuilt and widened.

A further radical restructuring process was started in 1865 by the architect Giambattista Carducci, although the 13th century Romanesque façade was left.

On that occasion a large mosaic (ca 900 sq. m.) was sensationally discovered. It covers the entire cathedral floor. But for the parts changed during the Middle Ages, it dates back to the 6th century B. C. and it’s visible.

Thus, more than a metre below the surface, a basilica came to light, identified by critics as the early Christian cathedral. 

The 14th century portal in white stone is flanked by two lions, dating back to the 12- 13th centuries, probably a coat- of-arms of the Malatesta family. The church is in the shape of a Latin cross, with a nave, two aisles, seven altars and three chapels.

In the right aisle you can see the chapel of St. Terentius, where the relics of the patron- saints of Pesaro and a 14th century fresco of the Madonna of the People can be found. The Chapel of the Very Holy Sacrament is in the left aisle and it houses marble sculptures of the old baptistery. The two chapels were re-made between the 19th and 20th centuries.

Above the entrance a painting by Marco Benefial represents the Assumption among saints, whereas in the left transept a painting by Giovanni Giacomo Pandolfi represents the Crucifixion with Saints.


 
 
 

The Attractions of Pesaro

 
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