Cattedrale dei Santi Pietro e Donato

Arezzo Cathedral brings together Gothic architecture, Renaissance painting and stained glass, and later devotional chapels. Piero della Francesca's Maddalena and Guillaume de Marcillat's windows are among the works that give its interior a distinct artistic identity.

Why it matters

The cathedral records the transfer of the episcopal centre from Pionta into the city and a building campaign interrupted and resumed over several centuries. Its monuments connect religious patronage with the political history of Arezzo.

What to notice

Piero's fresco presents Mary Magdalene with a calm, sculptural presence. Marcillat's stained glass and vault paintings contrast with the marble narrative reliefs of Guido Tarlati's cenotaph, made in 1330 by Agostino di Giovanni and Agnolo di Ventura. The Arca di San Donato gives prominence to the city's patron saint. The Madonna del Conforto chapel adds a later setting for Marian devotion, with painted decoration and glazed terracottas.

Context and history

Innocent III ordered the episcopal seat transferred within the walls in 1203. Construction of the Gothic cathedral began in 1277, supported by Gregory X's bequest after his death in Arezzo in 1276. Work reached its essential form in 1511. Renaissance additions included Vasari's design for the organ gallery of 1535–1537, while Dante Viviani's facade followed in 1900–1914. These successive commissions distinguish the medieval structure from its later artistic layers.