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Urbania Cathedral

Urbania Cathedral

Urbania, IT

The Cathedral of Urbania dates back to the ancient Benedictine Abbey of San Cristoforo del Ponte in the 9th century. The building was renovated by the commendatory abbot Cardinal Bessarione in the second half of the 15th century. On this occasion the relics of the saint were transferred to the church. The church became the cathedral of the new diocese of Urbania, established on 18th February 1636. In the 18th century the church was again renovated in a neoclassical style according to the plans of the architect Giuseppe Tosi. The façade (1870) and the new bell tower (1958) are late: the old medieval bell tower is still present on the side.

Urbino Cathedral

Urbino Cathedral

Urbino, IT

The Cathedral of Urbino was first built in 1021. In the 15th century, on the initiative of Federico da Montefeltro, the cathedral was rebuilt according to a design attributed to the Sienese Francesco di Giorgio Martini, the Duke's official architect, and completed in 1604. The project, simple and bare, consisted simply of three naves supported by white colonnades. The earthquake of 12 January 1789 caused the collapse of the dome and necessitated the reconstruction of the cathedral according to a project by the Roman architect Giuseppe Valadier (1762-1839), who completed the building in 1801.

Valserena Abbey

Valserena Abbey

Parma, IT

Valserena Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey in combined Gothic and Baroque style, founded in 1298. From the 15th century onwards, the complex was extended and modified several times. In 1551, during the Parma War (part of the Italian War of 1551-59), the complex was occupied for a time by the troops of the governor of Milan Ferrante I Gonzaga, an ally of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Habsburg. Between the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th century, the abbey church was given a new monumental façade in Baroque style to replace the previous one in Gothic style. Deconsecrated in 1810, the abbey has been since 2007 the seat of the Centre for Communication Studies and Archives of the University of Parma.

Vasto Cathedral

Vasto Cathedral

Vasto, IT

Vasto Cathedral was built in the 13th century. All that remains of the old medieval church dedicated to Santa Margherita is the façade with its 14th century portal and rose windows. In the 17th century it was dedicated to Saint Augustine and in 1808 to Saint Joseph. It was raised to the rank of cathedral in 1853.

Velletri Cathedral

Velletri Cathedral

Velletri, IT

Velletri Cathedral was, according to tradition, a former basilica of the Roman town hall, which was transformed into a Christian church in the 5th century. In the 13th century the church underwent a major renovation with the construction of the polygonal exterior apse and the underground chapel containing the relics of St Eleutheran and St Pontian. The main entrance of the cathedral with its façade was incorporated into the construction of the Bishop's Seminary in the 17th century. In 1950, damaged by the war, the cathedral was restored to a design by the architect Giuseppe Zander.

Venafro Cathedral

Venafro Cathedral

Venafro, IT

The cathedral of Venafro was rebuilt in the second half of the 11th century by Bishop Pietro of Ravenna. The building also experienced a tumultuous life: it was stripped of all its possessions by the troops of Frederick II (1220-1250), was damaged by earthquakes in 1349 and 1456, was burnt down on the orders of Emperor Ludwig and had to accommodate the troops of Charles VIII in 1495. Between the end of the 17th century and throughout the 18th century, the church was embellished in the Baroque style. However, its present appearance is the result of restoration work carried out in the 1960s and 1970s, which stripped the co-cathedral of its old Baroque forms and returned it to its previous medieval-Gothic appearance.

Venosa Cathedral

Venosa Cathedral

Venosa, IT

Venosa Cathedral was built between 1470 and 1502 by order of Duke Pirro del Balzo, who was responsible for the urban transformation of Venosa in the last decades of the 15th century. The upper part consists of two octagonal prisms, which form the base of the 10-metre high pyramidal spire. The lower part consists of three superimposed parallelepipeds, the first of which has a quadrangular base.

Vercelli Cathedral

Vercelli Cathedral

Vercelli, IT

The present building of Vercelli Cathedral was built on the site of a church building dating back to the 4th century. In the second half of the 16th century, Pellegrino Tibaldi, redesigned the building, destroying what was left of the medieval church, including the choir and the presbytery; it was redefined with the construction of chapels on the sides, and new naves, these works were completed in the 18th century.

Vieste Cathedral

Vieste Cathedral

Vieste, IT

The Cathedral of Vieste was built in the 11th century, but its original Romanesque structure was modified over the centuries by the destruction caused by the 1223 earthquake, the Saracen raids and the 1646 Gargano earthquake. These events made it necessary to rebuild the façade (second half of the 18th century) and the bell tower, which collapsed in 1772.

Vigevano Cathedral

Vigevano Cathedral

Vigevano, IT

The construction of Vigevano Cathedral dates back to the 16th century, with a western façade dating back to the 1670s. The original structure was built before the year 1000. The present building was commissioned by Duke Francesco II Sforza around 1530. Construction began in 1532 under the direction of Antonio da Lonate. It was not completed until 1612. The building was consecrated on 24th April 1612.

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