Cattedrale di San Giustino

The Cathedral of Saint Justin is Chieti's patron church. Rebuilt across centuries into a Romanesque-Baroque whole, it contains the relics of the patron in its crypt, a lanterned dome over the transept, a 1485 crucifix and a silver bust of the saint.

Why it matters

The cathedral condenses Chieti's history into a single architectural palimpsest. Municipal records trace damage in 801, restoration completed by 840 under Bishop Teoderico I, rebuilding around the thirteenth century, consecration in 1609 and further campaigns in the fourteenth, sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. Treccani's city entry marks 1526 as the year Chieti became an archiepiscopal see. Art in the church spans late-medieval devotion, Counter-Reformation painting and Baroque architecture.

What to notice

The basilica has three naves separated by pillars, a transept and a presbytery that steps down toward the crypt. A lantern and oculi ring the transept dome. In the left transept is a silver bust of San Giustino; the saint's altar includes a wooden crucifix carved in 1485 by Nicola Teutonico. Paintings include Saverio Persico's foot-washing and Last Supper, an altarpiece of the Incredulity of Saint Thomas and three nave-vault canvases by Del Zoppo: Saint Alfonso, Saint Filomena and the Assumption. The crypt is a medieval hall with two opposing apses, traces of fresco and the relics of the patron.

Context and history

The church is dedicated to Saint Justin and, with the Assumption, the apostle Thomas; its site replaced a pagan temple, according to the municipal account. Sacked in 801 and restored within a generation, the building was reconstructed on a grander scale around the thirteenth century and consecrated in 1609. The eighteenth century brought the interior closer to its present appearance. Chieti's elevation to an archbishopric in 1526 gave the church wider regional significance. Its chapter and treasury accumulated works from the city's parishes, some of which later moved to the diocesan museum.