Description of the attraction
The Cathedral of San Martino is the main church of Lucca, the construction of which began in 1063 at the initiative of Bishop Anselm, who later became Pope Alexander II. Only a huge apse with high arcades and an elegant bell tower have survived from the original building. The nave and transepts of the cathedral were rebuilt in the Gothic style in the 14th century. Separately, it should be said about the western facade with a wonderful three-arch portico and three rows of open galleries decorated with sculptures - its creation began in 1204 by order of Guido Bigarelli from Como.
In the central nave of the cathedral, in a small octahedral chapel, is kept the most valuable relic of Lucca - the Volto Santo di Lucca, or the Sacred Face. The relic is a wooden crucifix and an image of Christ, which, according to legend, was made by his contemporary Nicodemus, and miraculously ended up in Lucca in 782. Christ is dressed in a colobium - a long sleeveless undershirt. The chapel itself was built in 1484 by Matteo Civitali, Lucca's most famous early Renaissance sculptor.
The Cathedral of San Martino also houses the tomb of Ilaria del Carretto by Jacopo della Quercia, commissioned by her husband, the ruler of Lucca, Paolo Guinigi, in 1406. In addition, in the cathedral you can see the works of Domenico Ghirlandaio, Jacopo Tintoretto and Fra Bartolomeo.
There is a legend that explains why all the columns on the facade of San Martino are different. According to her, when the cathedral was going to be decorated, the inhabitants of Lucca announced a competition for the best column. Each master did his best, and it was decided to take all the creations.
Another mysterious landmark of the Cathedral of San Martino is the labyrinth carved on the right pillar of the portico and dated to the late 12th and early 13th centuries. It is believed that this particular labyrinth was the predecessor of the famous Chartres labyrinth, from which, in fact, the standard for the creation of all labyrinths began. A Latin inscription next to it reminds of pagan mythology: “This labyrinth was built by Daedalus from Crete. Everyone who fell into it disappeared forever. And only Theseus was saved thanks to the thread of Ariadne."
