Ferrara

The Ferrara Cathedral (Duomo of Ferrara)

Edited by

Maria Teresa Sambin

Places of worship

Other denominations

Basilica Cattedrale di San Giorgio Martire / Cattedrale e Cavalcavia che la unisce al vescovado / Museo del Duomo

Founders

Ercole I, Niccolò III

D'Este's People

Alberto V

Artists / Humanists

Bernardino Canozi da Lendinara, Biagio Rossetti, Cosmé Tura, Daniele Canozi da Lendinara, Domenico di Paris, Francesco Mazzarelli, Giovan Battista Aleotti, Iacopo della Quercia, Leon Battista Alberti, Matteo Castoldi, Nicholaus, Nicolò Baroncelli, Sebastiano Filippi

Description

The Cathedral of Ferrara, as it appears today, constitutes an extraordinary palimpsest generated by the incisive interventions that have taken place over the centuries on the Romanesque cathedral, built around 1135 to replace the ancient cathedral on the southern bank of the Po (current S. Giorgio beyond). Nicholaus, who created sculptural works on the façade, was probably also the designer of the architectural layout, inspired by the cathedral of Modena and perhaps also that of Pisa. In the 13th century, the two side registers of the façade were raised up to the level of the central one, creating a unique screen façade, a successful hybrid between European Gothic models and Po Valley roots. The porch was also raised two levels, welcoming an early cycle of the Last Judgement.

Major transformations took place in the 15th century. Firstly, the long construction site of the bell tower was started, at the behest of Nicolò III d’Este (1412) and then by Borso (1451), probably to a design by Leon Battista Alberti; the apse was then rebuilt to a design by Biagio Rossetti (1498), commissioned by Ercole I. The 15th-century apse is the only element of the interior to have survived the radical rebuilding of the cathedral carried out in the first decades of the 18th century.

Useful information

Address

corso Martiri della Libertà, 57 - piazza Duomo

Municipality

FERRARA

Province

Ferrara

Diocese

Arcidiocesi di Ferrara-Comacchio

Visitability of the place

Open to visits

Themes

Religious ceremony (wedding, funeral, burial,...)

Website

http://www.ferraraterraeacqua.it/it/ferrara/scopri-il-territorio/arte-e-cultura/chiese-pievi-battisteri/chiesa-di-san-giorgio

Tourer

https://www.tourer.it/mappa?id=772