Concattedrale dei Santi Alberto e Marziale

The Co-Cathedral of Saints Albert and Marziale stands in Colle di Val d'Elsa's Castello quarter. Rebuilt from the early seventeenth century for the new bishopric, it combines a Baroque interior with a neoclassical façade and preserves the relic known as the Holy Nail.

Why it matters

Colle di Val d'Elsa became a city and episcopal seat in 1592. The older parish church no longer reflected its new status, and construction of the cathedral began in 1603. Its chapels preserve art from several centuries, while the Chapel of the Holy Nail holds a relic associated with the Crucifixion.

What to notice

The church has a three-nave plan arranged as a cross. The Chapel of the Holy Nail in the right transept is enclosed by a seventeenth-century wrought-iron gate. A fourteenth-century marble pulpit stands in the central nave. The organ by Onofrio da Cortona, made in 1555 for the earlier church, was restored in 1780.

Context and history

A chapel of San Salvatore is documented on the site from the twelfth century. Usimbardo Usimbardi, the first bishop, commissioned the new cathedral from Fausto Rughesi; construction began after the old church was demolished. Agostino Fantastici completed the façade in 1833. After the diocese was merged with Siena's, the church became a co-cathedral and remains an active parish.