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 commune of Italy in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Monte Subasio.
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. It is a member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia.
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. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia.
Assisi Cathedral, dedicated to San Rufino, is a major church in Assisi, Italy. This stately church in Umbrian Romanesque style was the third church built on the same site to contain the remains of bishop Rufinus of Assisi, martyred in the 3rd century. The construction was started in 1140 to the designs by Giovanni da Gubbio, as attested by the wall inscription visible inside the apse. He may be the same Giovanni who designed the rose-window on the façade of Santa Maria Maggiore in 1163.
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Italian Gothic architecture (also called temperate Gothic architecture, has characteristics that distinguish it considerably from those of the place of origin of Gothic architecture, France, and from other European countries in which this language has spread.
The Diocese of Nocera Umbra was a Catholic diocese in Umbria, Italy.
The Diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church 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.
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The Abbey of St. Benedict on the Mountain, also known as Norcia Abbey, is a Benedictine community of monks located in southeastern Umbria, just outside the city of Norcia, Italy. Originally founded in the 10th century, the abbey was closed by the Napoleonic Army as part of its suppression of religious communities. A new monastic community was founded in 1998 by a group of American monks which was formally established the following year as a priory directly under the supervision of the Abbot Primate.
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.
