Duomo di Lucca
Duomo di Lucca – The Duomo di Lucca, officially the Cattedrale di San Martino (Cathedral of Saint Martin), is the principal church of Lucca, Tuscany, and one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in Italy. Founded in the 6th century by Saint Fridianus, Bishop of Lucca, the cathedral was rebuilt in its current form beginning in 1063, with the magnificent asymmetrical facade completed in the early 13th century featuring elaborate carved decoration and three tiers of loggias. The cathedral houses numerous artistic treasures, most notably the Volto Santo (Holy Face), a wooden crucifix venerated since medieval times and believed by legend to be a true portrait of Christ carved by Nicodemus. The interior contains masterpieces by major Tuscan artists including Tintoretto’s Last Supper, Ghirlandaio’s altarpieces, and Jacopo della Quercia’s marble tomb of Ilaria del Carretto, considered one of the most beautiful funerary monuments of the Italian Renaissance. The cathedral is particularly renowned for its Romanesque facade with intricate sculptures, the Volto Santo crucifix, and Jacopo della Quercia’s exquisite tomb sculpture of Ilaria del Carretto (1406-1408).
