Description of the attraction
Verona Cathedral is one of the main churches in the city, seat of the episcopal see. The construction of the Romanesque temple began in the second half of the 12th century - it was built on the site of two pre-Christian churches destroyed during the 1117 earthquake. Already in 1187, the new cathedral was consecrated. In the 15th century, several extensions were added to it and expanded, which gave the building a late Gothic appearance. Only the entrance portal with a portico decorated with winged griffins, the creation of the architect Nicolo, has survived from the original appearance. By the way, the same architect was the author of the entrance portal of the Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore, dedicated to the patron saint of Verona, Saint Zinon, and the Cathedral of Ferrara.
Above the entrance to the cathedral, you can see a relief image of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the Infant Jesus in her arms. In addition, the portal is decorated with scenes from the Old Testament and the figures of two knights from the medieval epic - Roland and Olivier. There are also images of ten prophets, four symbols of the evangelists and the Hand of the Lord. The Gothic façade windows serve as a reminder of the restoration of the cathedral in the 14th century. Baroque elements at the top of the façade were added here in the 17th century. The bell tower, the construction of which was started by Michele Sanmicheli in the 16th century, remained unfinished - it is notable for columns with richly decorated capitals, bas-reliefs and frescoes from the 14th century.
The interior of the cathedral is made in the Gothic style - columns of red marble, pointed arches, vaults with gold stars on a blue background. Giovanni Falconetto worked on the decoration of the side altars and chapels in the 16th century. Here you can also see real works of art: The Entombment by Nicolo Giolfino, The Assumption of the Virgin Mary by Titian and The Adoration of the Magi by Liberale da Verona.
Next to the cathedral there is a cloister, also made in the Romanesque style. It is framed by a two-level covered gallery in red marble. From here you can get to the Library of the Chapter, the church's repository of manuscripts, and to the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte, built in 1123. The baptistery has preserved frescoes and paintings from the 13th-15th centuries, and in the central nave there is a baptismal font, carved from solid marble in the 12th century.
