Cripta di San Magno

Beneath Anagni Cathedral, the Crypt of San Magno is covered by an extensive medieval fresco cycle across twenty-one vaulted bays. Its paintings range from biblical and apocalyptic scenes to episodes associated with the city's patron saint, while a Cosmatesque floor marks the crypt's thirteenth-century completion.

Why it matters

The crypt was built with the cathedral between 1072 and 1104 under Bishop Pietro da Salerno. Three naves run across the axis of the church above, divided into twenty-one cross-vaulted bays by twelve columns. Between the late twelfth and first half of the thirteenth century, anonymous workshops covered the vaults with a large cycle of paintings, extending across about 540 square metres.

What to notice

The frescoes reflect three distinct artistic approaches, including Roman-rooted figures and a richly coloured style associated with Byzantine traditions of southern Italy. Among the subjects are a Pantocrator blessing in the Greek manner, the Creation, stories from the First Book of Samuel and scenes from the Apocalypse. A philosophical diagram connected with Plato's Timaeus appears within the Creation cycle. The Cosmatesque pavement below was completed in 1231 by Cosma and his sons Luca and Jacopo using reused green serpentine, red porphyry and other marbles. A plaque records the discovery of San Magno's relics during work on the floor.

Context and history

The crypt's paintings include episodes from the life and miracles of San Magno, alongside those of Santa Secondina and the princesses Aurelia and Noemisia. A later fresco, dated 1324 and attributed to Lello de Urbe, appears at the Altar of the Holy Martyrs. A restoration campaign between 1987 and 1994 consolidated the frescoes and helped preserve the cycle now visible across the vaults.