Duomo di Pesaro (Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta)

Pesaro's Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta preserves mosaic pavements beneath its later interior. The layered floors reveal successive churches and centuries of additions to their decoration.

Why it matters

The archaeological remains connect the cathedral with late-antique Pisaurum and its medieval development. Their successive levels record repeated rebuilding and changes to the decoration of the sacred space.

What to notice

The upper mosaic pavement combines geometric divisions with birds, animals and sacred symbols. Medieval additions include figures drawn from bestiaries and imagery interpreted in relation to the Trojan War. Inscriptions preserve the names of patrons. A lower pavement has geometric and floral decoration, with traces of burning. Above ground, the brick medieval facade contrasts with the nineteenth-century interior.

Context and history

The upper mosaic is dated to the later sixth century, with further work between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries. The surviving facade was built between 1282 and 1312. Modern investigation exposed, recorded and at times reburied the ancient pavements. Excavations resumed in 1990 and later extended beneath the forecourt, revealing more of the earlier basilica complex.