Spoleto Cathedral

 cathedral, church, Roman Catholic church

The Duomo of Spoleto, dating from the 12th century, features a lovely Romanesque façade and a magnificent fresco cycle by Fra Filippo Lippi. Its official name is Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta (Cathedral of the Assumption of St. Mary). The cathedral was built to replace a church razed by Frederick Barbarossa in 1155, when the emperor destroyed Spoleto for refusing to pay him tribute. The new cathedral was consecrated by Pope Innocent III in 1198.
It is the cathedral of the Bishop of the Italian Catholic archdiocese of Spoleto-Norcia, an archdiocese since only 1821, historically the diocese of Spoleto,is directly subject to the Holy See.
Spoleto's Duomo is at the bottom of a monumental staircase on the Piazza del Duomo, backed by a forested green hill. It makes a fitting stage for the Spoleto Festival finale and, on a more daily basis, a soccer field for local children.

A 3rd-century Roman sarcophagus serves as a public fountain at the base of the stairs. On the left of the square is the small, octagonal-roofed Church of Santa Maria della Manna d'Oro (the Duomo sacristan will sometimes unlock it on request).

The Duomo's unique Romanesque façade features a golden mosaic dated 1207 and signed by a certain Solsternus. It depicts Christ between the Virgin Mary and St. John. Also decorating the facade are no less than eight rose windows; the central one is surrounded by small atlantes sculptures and symbols of the Four Evangelists.

The attached bell tower was built of stone from Roman temples (some ancient reliefs can be seen among the masonry), while the open portico is a Renaissance addition (1492).