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Lucca Cathedral was consecrated in 1070 by Pope Alexander II, formerly the Bishop of Lucca. The impetus for replacing the smaller Church of St. Martin with a grand cathedral is traditionally the arrival of the miraculous Volto Santo (Holy Face of Lucca). The west facade was decorated in 1204 and the portico in 1233, and the interior was rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries

Saint Martin columns

Of the original structure, the great apse with its tall columnar arcades and the fine campanile remain. The nave and transepts of the cathedral were rebuilt in the Gothic style in the 14th century, while the west front was begun in 1204 by Guidetto Bigarelli of Como, and consists of a vast portico of three magnificent arches, and above them three ranges of open galleries adorned with sculptures.

The Duomo di San Martino in Lucca is a beautiful marble cathedral with magnificent Romanesque sculptures on its facade and a much-revered crucifix (the Volto Santo) sheltered inside.

Beautifully carved and

detailed columns flanking the

entrance to the San Martino Cathedral

The ornamental carvings and the capitals of Romanesque art are developments from the Byzantine. Where columns were employed the cube capital is common. For the pier capitals new forms were invented or evolved. The introduction of grotesque forms of animals or men in these ornaments is peculiar to this period, as distinct from the one which preceded. These grotesques represent the fantastic and original spirit of the Germanic North as contrasted with the more sedate Byzantine dependence on earlier classic designs

The Lucca Cathedral and many

other churches of Tuscany are later variants of the Pisa Cathedral

Bishop Frediano commissioned the

building of the church of San

Martino in the 6th century and the

edifice advanced to the status of

cathedral in the 8th century. Another bishop of Lucca

(and Pope Alexander II) rebuilt

it a couple of centuries apart.

On the latter version, Guidetto da Como created its façade: a series of loggias resting on pillars and an atrium packed with bas-reliefs (1233) depicting the four stories of St Martin, the dispute with the Aryans and the Martyrdom of San Regolo.

The sculptural decoration inside the

portico was begun in 1233 and uses pink,

green and white marble to

magnificent effect. The

walls between the portals

contain more bas-reliefs

under small blind arcades,

some badly weathered.

These are the work of the facade's master sculptor, Guidetto da Como, in the early 13th century. The subjects depicted here are the Labors of the Months and the life of St. Martin.

The word "Romanesque" does not, as sometimes supposed, refer to a debased and degraded Roman style adopted by the Middle Ages, but rather specifies the two traits of Roman architecture which were reemployed at this time, viz., the pier and the vaulting arch. All the great Romanesque cathedrals of North Continental Europe use this construction and are distinguished by it from the earlier basilicas with timber roofs and with columns supporting the arches of the nave

The porch is decorated with the tasks of the 12 months of the year, from giving a girl roses to slaughtering a pig

Each of the three portals is topped with bas-reliefs on the architrave and in the tympanum. Over the central portal, the tympanum depicts the Ascension of Christ, with the Virgin and Apostles on the architrave below.

The left tympanum illustrates the Deposition from the Cross, while its architrave squeezes in the Annunciation, Nativity and Adoration of the Magi. These are thought to be early works of famed sculptor Nicola Pisano.

Deposizione (lunette) portale del Duomo di Lucca by Nicola PisanoBefore 1260

Nativity/Adoration of the Magi (architrave) by Nicola Pisano

The right portal's tympanum shows the Beheading of St. Regulus at the hands of the Goths. Below this in the architrave is the Meeting of St. Martin with the Arians.

This is one of the most visually stunning churches in all of Italy. When the Bishop of Lucca, Anselm, began construction of the building in 1063, little could he have known (even after becoming Pope Alexander II) that the church would appear as it does today. There are three levels of colonnaded façade. Thirty-seven individually unique columns support the levels above the portico entrance of the cathedral.

On September 13th each year, the entire walled city is lit only by candles as a procession honors the Volto Santo. The sculpture, heavily adorned with priceless jewels, was carried through the city. To protect the aging wood, the sculpture now remains in the chapel. The jeweled decoration remains throughout the period of the festival.

The marble figure of Ilaria del Carretto  is Lucca's greatest monument. Ilaria, the 26 year-old wife of nobleman Paolo Guinigi, died in childbirth at the beginning of the 15th century. Jacopo della Quercia's earliest undisputed work, the tomb of Ilaria del Carretto in Lucca, reveals an extremely sensitive style which is still firmly embedded in the late courtois tradition. The beautiful young woman seems to have fallen asleep on a cushion. At her feet is an alert lapdog, a symbol of fidelity.The plaster cast can be seen in Victoria & Albert Museum

Basilica of San Frediano

Sound: Antonio Salieri - Concierto para violín, oboe y chello (1)

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Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda