Duomo di Cingoli (Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta)

Cingoli's Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta stands on the main square, on the site of an earlier church of the Santissimo Salvatore. Its late Baroque interior contains medieval polyptych panels, twentieth-century frescoes by Donatello Stefanucci and the monument of Pope Pius VIII, born Francesco Saverio Castiglioni in Cingoli.

Why it matters

The church became the cathedral of Cingoli in 1725, when Pope Benedict XIII restored the diocese. It is associated with Pius VIII, whose pontificate saw the start of work on the still-unfinished facade in 1829. The cathedral also preserves portions of polyptychs attributed to Zanino di Pietro and Giovanni Antonio Bellinzoni da Pesaro.

What to notice

The brick facade remains unfinished. Inside, three chapels line each side of the nave, which opens into a Latin-cross plan. Donatello Stefanucci painted the apse frescoes in 1937–1939. The sacristy contains panels attributed to Zanino di Pietro and Bellinzoni da Pesaro, including figures of saints and a Crucifixion.

Context and history

In 1564 the Comune resolved to build a larger church on the main square. Construction began in 1619 to designs by Ascanio Passeri; after the dome and vaults collapsed in 1634, work continued and the church was consecrated in 1654. A second consecration followed in 1693. Benedict XIII made it the cathedral of the restored Diocese of Cingoli in 1725. The facade campaign began under Pius VIII in 1829 and stopped after his death in 1830. The church is now part of the Diocese of Macerata.