It was built on top of various existing structures; the current cathedral dates back to the mid-1400s, the Gothic façade was built between 1444 and 1467, while the apse was built in 1482, even if in 1531, it was still unfinished... #tuttitaly
The Cathedral of Vicenza is an important religious building located in the city of Vicenza, Italy. The current structure dates back to the late Gothic period, but its origins can be traced back to the Roman era when a paved road served a residential context.
The church developed from a private house in the 1st century BC and was transformed into a domus ecclesiae in the 3rd century. Later, a Paleochristian basilica was built, expanded in the Carolingian era, and rebuilt in the 12th century following a terrible earthquake in 1117.
The cathedral features a single nave divided into five bays, with ribbed vaults on polystylistic pillars leaning against the walls. The chapels, built between the 14th and 16th centuries, were created thanks to testamentary bequests from noble Vicentine families or at the initiative of some confraternities.
The main chapel, of a polygonal shape, is connected to the crypt and ends with the dome by Andrea Palladio in 1574. In the presbytery area is the Dall'Acqua altar, which is made of polychrome marble. At the same time, on the walls is the Civran Parament, a sumptuous tapestry made between 1675 and 1682, decorated with twelve large canvases painted by artists of the "tenebrosi" current.
In the side chapels, there are important works of art, such as the painting "Dormitio Virginis" by Lorenzo Veneziano from 1366 in the politician's chapel, the altarpiece "Madonna with Child Enthroned between Saints Mary Magdalene and Lucy" by Bartolomeo Montagna in the chapel of Saint Catherine, the stone altarpiece "Coronation of the Virgin" by Antonino da Venezia from 1448, and the Passion cycle by Alessandro Maganza in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.
Therefore, the Cathedral of Vicenza is an essential place of worship and a significant historical and artistic testimony in the city.
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