Cattedrale dei Santi Pietro e Paolo (Duomo di Pitigliano)

Pitigliano's Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul combines medieval origins with eighteenth-century Baroque forms. Its tower, sculpted facade and paintings make it a prominent expression of the town's religious history.

Why it matters

The church's elevation to cathedral rank in 1844 added a new institutional role to an older building. Its nineteenth-century paintings also connect Pitigliano with Gregory VII, the pope born in nearby Sovana.

What to notice

The facade includes statues of Peter and Paul and a marble relief of the Assumption. A sixteenth-century baptismal font and Francesco Vanni's Madonna del Rosario preserve earlier artistic layers. Pietro Aldi's two large canvases of 1885 depict different episodes: Henry IV at Canossa and the young Ildebrando in his father's workshop. Gilded columns and a crown distinguish the high altar.

Context and history

A Romanesque church dedicated to Saint Peter preceded the later rebuilding. Sixteenth-century alterations and eighteenth-century work transformed its appearance, including facade additions in 1758. Bishops of Sovana had resided in Pitigliano from 1674, before the formal elevation of the town to an episcopal see in 1844. The diocesan name Pitigliano-Sovana-Orbetello dates from 1986.