Parma Cathedral, Romanesque cathedral in Parma, Italy
Parma Cathedral, dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta, has a wide gabled facade of squared sandstone blocks with three loggia levels and three portals. The central portal, added in 1281 by Giambono da Bissone, rests on two Corinthian columns supported by crouching stone lions; its wooden doors were carved by Luchino Bianchino in 1491. Inside, stout polished columns with carved capitals carry pointed arches outlined in exposed brick beneath pale vaulting, and rows of wooden benches face the apse.
A fire destroyed the early Christian basilica in 1058, and Bishop Cadalo began the present cathedral on a new site; it was finished by 1074 and consecrated by Paschal II in 1106. The earthquake of 1117 led to restorations, and the wide sandstone facade was completed in 1178. Giambono da Bissone added the central portico and loggia in 1281, and the Gothic bell tower was built between 1284 and 1294.
The cathedral's name in Parma dialect is "al Dòmm". Its central portal has finely carved wooden doors made by Luchino Bianchino in 1491, and the tomb slab of mathematician Biagio Pelacani, who died in 1416, is set to the right of the portal. The side chapels, added from the 15th century, were built to house the tombs of noble Parma families.
The cathedral faces Piazza Duomo, beside the octagonal Baptistery and the Bishop's Palace. The main entrance is the central portal with the two marble lions carved by Giambono da Bissone in 1281. A 16th-century red Verona marble staircase leads up to the raised transepts; the crypt below holds the monument to Saint Bernard of Uberti.
The crypt contains ancient Roman columns supporting the vaults and preserves fragments of mosaics from the third century. This underground space also holds the tomb of San Bernardo degli Uberti, making this lesser-visited area particularly valuable for art historians and curious guests.
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