History
The present cathedral is also known as "San Benedetto nuovo" ("new St. Benedict's") to distinguish it from another building, "San Benedetto vecchio" ("old St. Benedict's"), a monastery constructed by the Benedictines after 1006 outside the city walls. Because of the insecurity of the location the monks moved the monastery inside the walls in 1256, as is recorded in a stone inscription on the outside wall of the building: A.D. MCCLVI TPE G ABBATIS H CENOBIU E TRASLATU IN GUALDO ("In A.D. 1256 in the time of Abbot G. this monastery was moved into Gualdo").
The new abbey and the adjoining church were built in a mixture of the Romanesque and Gothic styles, but were refurbished further during the following centuries, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries: the interior was completely refitted in the 19th century by the architect Virgilio Vespignani. The greater part of the painted decoration originates from 1924 and is the work of Ulisse Ribustini. On the death of Virginio Vespignani, the work was continued by his son Francesco and by the architect Costantino Sneider, his assistant, as is recorded in a stone by the entrance to the campanile.
In 1915 it was declared a cathedral honoris causa by Pope Benedict XV in memory of the ancient diocese of Tadinum. [2] Since 1986 it has been a co-cathedral in the diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino. [3]
Description
The west front of the cathedral is divided into two by a cornice: below are three portals (of which that in the centre has spiral columns and capitals) and above, between two oculi, a Romanesque rose window, an artistic glory of the city. These elements are all that remain of the original Romanesque building. The campanile of 1914 is a recent construction, occasioned by the demolition of the preceding one, which was dangerous because of damage caused by an earthquake at the end of the 18th century. On the south side of the cathedral is a Renaissance fountain attributed to Antonio da Sangallo the Elder.
The interior is divided into three aisles (with galleries over the side aisles), groin vaulting and semicircular apse, beneath which is the 19th-century crypt. Of artistic note is the high altar, rebuilt on site in 1965 using 14th-century elements of the original: of especial value are the bas reliefs by Guglielmo Ciani of Perugia depicting episodes from the life of Saint Benedict of Nursia. One of the side chapels is dedicated to one of the patron saints of the city, the hermit Blessed Angelo, [4] whose remains rest in an urn of bronze and silver.
Assisi is a town and comune of Italy in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Monte Subasio.
Gualdo Tadino is an ancient town of Italy, in the province of Perugia in northeastern Umbria, on the lower flanks of Monte Penna, a mountain of the Apennines. It is 47 kilometres (29 mi) NE of Perugia.
Fabriano is a town and comune of Ancona province in the Italian region of the Marche, at 325 metres (1,066 ft) above sea level. It lies in the Esino valley 44 kilometres (27 mi) upstream and southwest of Jesi; and 15 kilometres (9 mi) east-northeast of Fossato di Vico and 36 kilometres (22 mi) east of Gubbio. Its location on the main highway and rail line from Umbria to the Adriatic make it a mid-sized regional center in the Apennines. Fabriano is the headquarters of the giant appliance maker Indesit.
Norcia, traditionally known in English by its Latin name of Nursia, is a town and comune in the province of Perugia (Italy) in southeastern Umbria. Unlike many ancient towns, it is located in a wide plain abutting the Monti Sibillini, a subrange of the Apennines with some of its highest peaks, near the Sordo River, a small stream that eventually flows into the Nera. The town is popularly associated with the Valnerina.
Nocera Umbra is a town and comune in the province of Perugia, Italy, 15 kilometers north of Foligno, at an altitude of 520 m above sea-level. The comune, covering an area of 157.19 km², is one of the largest in Umbria.
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The Diocese of Nocera Umbra was a Roman Catholic diocese in Umbria, Italy.
The Italian Catholic Diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino in Umbria, has existed since 1986. In that year the historic Diocese of Assisi, known as the birthplace of Francis of Assisi, was combined with the Diocese of Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Perugia-Città della Pieve.
Fiesole Cathedral, or Cathedral of Saint Romulus of Fiesole,, officially the Cathedral of Saint Romulus of Fiesole, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Fiesole, Tuscany, central Italy. It is the seat of the Bishop of Fiesole and is dedicated to Saint Romulus.
Acquapendente Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral, dedicated to the Holy Sepulchre, in the town of Acquapendente in Lazio, Italy. Formerly the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Acquapendente, it is now a co-cathedral in the Diocese of Viterbo.
Saint Crispoldus is venerated as a 1st-century Christian martyr. He is the patron saint of Bettona, in Umbria, and said to have been the first bishop of that city, although the dioceses of Nocera and Foligno also include his name in episcopal lists.
The Monastero di San Benedetto in Monte is a male Benedictine community located in southeastern Umbria, just outside the city of Norcia, Italy.
The Cathedral of Sansepolcro is a Catholic church in Sansepolcro, Tuscany, central Italy.
Matteo da Gualdo or Matteo di Pietro di Ser Bernardo was an Italian painter, active in Gualdo Tadino, Nocera Umbra, and Assisi.
The Diocese of Gualdo Tadino was a Roman Catholic diocese located in the town of Gualdo Tadino in the province of Perugia in northeastern Umbria, on the lower flanks of Mt. Penna, a mountain of the Apennines. In 1915, it was united with the Diocese of Nocera Umbra to form the Diocese of Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino. Other sources indicate that it was suppressed to the Diocese of Nocera Umbra in 1066.
Tegrimus Tegrimi was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Titular Patriarch of Jerusalem (1638–1641) and Bishop of Assisi (1630–1638).
Marcello Crescenzi was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Assisi (1591–1630).
The church of Saint Maria Assunta is a Catholic parish church in Nocera Umbra, in Umbria, and co-cathedral of the diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino.
