Description of the attraction
Como Cathedral, named Santa Maria Assunta and dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the main temple of the city of Como and the seat of the local bishop. Standing on the picturesque shores of Lake Como, this cathedral is one of the most significant religious buildings in the Italian region of Lombardy. It is often called the last Gothic temple in Italy.
Construction of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta began in 1396 on the site of the previously existing Romanesque church of Santa Maria Maggiore, just 10 years after the founding of the world famous Milan Duomo. The work on the construction of the new temple, which began under the direction of the architect Lorenzo degli Spazzi di Laino, lasted almost four centuries and was completed only in 1770, when the Rococo dome, made by the famous Filippo Juvarra, was erected on the cathedral. The impressive western façade of the church was built between 1457 and 1498: its main attractions are the round rosette window, typical of Gothic churches, and the portal located between the statues of Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, natives of Como.
The cathedral itself is 87 meters long, 36 to 56 meters wide and 75 meters high - from the base to the top of the dome. Inside it is in the form of a Latin cross with three naves separated by columns and a Renaissance transept. The apses and choirs of the church were built in the 16th century. The interior of the cathedral is decorated with antique tapestries, some of which are the creation of Archimboldo, while others were made by craftsmen from Ferrara, Florence and the Dutch Antwerp. Also on the walls of Santa Maria Assunta are 16th century paintings by Bernardino Luini and Gaudenzio Ferrari.
