Concattedrale dei Santi Margherita e Martino

Piazza Duomo holds the cathedral of Saints Margherita and Martino, Tarquinia's co-cathedral. The church was elevated to cathedral status in 1435, damaged by fire in 1643, and rebuilt in stages through the late nineteenth century. Its Vitelleschi Chapel preserves frescoes of the Virgin's life.

Why it matters

In 1435, Pope Eugenius IV elevated Corneto, the medieval name of Tarquinia, to an episcopal see under the title of Saints Mary and Margherita. Bishop Bartolomeo Vitelleschi reshaped the church and created a chapel for his family. In 1854, Pope Pius IX joined the dioceses of Civitavecchia and Tarquinia on equal terms; the Duomo remains one of their two cathedral churches.

The Vitelleschi Chapel is frescoed by Antonio da Viterbo, known as il Pastura. Around 1508–09, he painted its cycle of the Stories of the Virgin, regarded as a major work of his career.

What to notice

The three-nave interior incorporates structures from the twelfth and fourteenth centuries. In the Vitelleschi Chapel, the fresco cycle moves from the Meeting of Anna and Joachim to the Birth and Marriage of the Virgin. The background of the Birth includes a walled city identified as Tarquinia; in the Marriage scene, the dome of Florence's cathedral honours Giovanni Vitelleschi, once archbishop there. Sibyls and prophets with scrolls share the vault with the Coronation of Mary. The fire of 1643 damaged the paintings. Later restorations in 1880, 1937 and 1976 partly obscured them; a campaign completed in 2018 removed much of the overpaint.

Context and history

The church's dedication predates its elevation in 1435. It served Corneto through the periods when the town was a free commune and later a papal town. After the 1643 fire, the church underwent successive rebuilding campaigns. The local architect Filippo Dasti oversaw work through the nineteenth century, with Vincenzo Vespignani as advisor; the reconstruction was completed late in that century. The cathedral shares its diocese with Civitavecchia.