Cattedrale dei Santi Florido e Amanzio (Duomo di Città di Castello)

The Cathedral of Saints Florido and Amanzio in Città di Castello combines a cylindrical medieval bell tower with a largely Renaissance interior and an unfinished seventeenth-century facade. It preserves the city's devotion to its two patron saints.

Why it matters

Successive rebuilding campaigns make the cathedral a record of the town's religious and artistic history. The lower church and later upper interior reveal different architectural phases within the same episcopal complex.

What to notice

The cylindrical tower contrasts with the broad facade begun in 1632. A carved medieval side portal adds another exterior feature. Inside, the single-nave plan contains painted decoration from several periods, including Marco Benefial's eighteenth-century scenes from the patrons' lives. A carved wooden choir belongs to the Renaissance furnishings. The lower church preserves the shrine of Saint Florido and an image known as the Black Madonna.

Context and history

An earlier cathedral was consecrated in 1032. Rebuilding followed the earthquake of 1458, and the church was reconsecrated in 1540. The unfinished facade introduced a further architectural project. Damage to the dome in the 1789 earthquake led to rebuilding and new painted decoration in the following years.