Description of the attraction
Foligno Cathedral is a church located in the center of the small town of Foligno in Umbria in Piazza della Repubblica. The cathedral, built on the site of a previously existing basilica, is dedicated to the patron saint of the city, the great martyr Felician, who was buried here in 251. Today this Romanesque church is also the diocese of Bishop Foligno.
The construction of the cathedral began in 1133 under Bishop Marko and, despite the fact that it was completed only 70 years later, the consecration took place already in 1149. The church has two facades: the main one overlooks Piazza Grande, and the second overlooks Piazza della Repubblica. The north transept and second façade were completed in 1204, and the south transept only in 1513. Already in our time, at the beginning of the 20th century, restoration work was carried out on the main facade, during which mosaics made in the Vatican workshops were placed on the tympanum. The round rosette window is decorated with evangelical symbols, and figures of stone lions can be seen on either side of the bronze doors.
At the same time, the second facade was partially restored - it is also decorated with three rosette windows, which are considered one of the most beautiful in Umbria, and arches. Two stone figures of griffins were placed here to perpetuate the memory of Foligno's victory over Perugia. Carved wooden doors are surrounded by five Romanesque arches, decorated with bas-reliefs depicting Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and Pope Innocent III. The central arch is covered with the symbols of the zodiac, stars, sun, moon and the attributes of the Four Evangelists. The Gothic building to the left of the façade is the baptistery of the cathedral. The steps next to it lead to the Palazzo delle Canonica - the Palace of the Canons.
The interior of the cathedral has been redesigned and restored several times. Its current appearance is made in the neoclassical style - most likely, it is the work of the architect Giuseppe Piermarini, who worked here in the second half of the 18th century. Only the crypt reminds of the original Romanesque church. Among the most notable works of art inside the cathedral are the frescoed chapel of the Holy Gifts by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, paintings from the 13th-19th centuries on the side walls, a huge fresco depicting the nun Angela da Foligno in the apse, the crucifixion by Nicola Alunno and a gilded canopy over the main altar is a replica of the canopy from St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
An elegant dome was added to the cathedral in the mid-16th century. And the bell tower was partially restored in 1847. Inside is a cell adorned with 15th century frescoes where the blessed Pietro Crisi lived.
