Description of the attraction
Cathedral of San Lorenzo is the main church of Perugia. Since the founding of the bishopric in the city, the cathedral was located in different places until a new building was built in 936-1060. The current cathedral, dedicated from the very beginning to Saints Lorenzo and Ercolano, was built according to the project of Fra Bevignate: the construction of the temple began in 1345, and was completed only in 1490. True, the external decorations in white and pink marble, borrowed from the Cathedral of Arezzo, were never completed.
Unlike most other cathedrals, the Cathedral of Perugia faces the main city square with the Fontana Maggiore and Palazzo dei Priori, not by the facade, but sideways. On this side is the Loggia Braccio, made by order of Braccio da Montone in the early Renaissance style. It is believed that the architect from Bologna, Fioravante Fioravanti, worked on it. It was once part of the Palazzo del Podesta, which burned down in 1534. Under the loggia, you can see a part of the ancient Roman wall and the foundations of an old bell tower. There is also the so-called Pietra della Giustizia - the Stone of Justice with an inscription from 1264, which says that all state debts have been paid. On the same side of the cathedral is a statue of Pope Julius III, made in 1555 by Vincenzo Danti.
The unfinished wall contains a portal designed by Galeazzo Alessi in 1568, a pulpit composed of fragments of antique Cosmatesco mosaics and a wooden crucifix by Polidero Chiburini from the 16th century. The Baroque portal of the main facade of the cathedral was made by Pietro Carattoli in 1729. The massive bell tower was built in 1606-1612.
Inside, the cathedral consists of a central nave and two side chapels. On the opposite side from the entrance, you can see the sarcophagus of Bishop Giovanni Andrea Baglioni, made by Urbano da Cortona. One of the chapels houses a reliquary by Bino di Pietro and Federico and Cesarino del Rochetto - it is considered one of the jewelery masterpieces of the Renaissance. The apse of the cathedral is notable for its wooden choirs inlaid by Giuliano da Maiano and Domenico del Tasso. Two small side doors lead into the chapel of Saint Onofrio. Another chapel contains the relics of Pope Martin IV, who died in Perugia in 1285, and the remains of Innocent III and Urban IV. Among the most revered icons of the cathedral is the image of the Madonna delle Grazie by Giannicola di Paolo.
