HISTORY
The imposing Cathedral of San Lorenzo rises at the heart of the city of Perugia and stands on the site of an earlier Romanesque church dating back to the 12th century, itself built over what was once the Etruscan and Roman acropolis, now underground. The cathedral therefore maintains continuity with the city’s subterranean layers, in a place devoted to the worship of deities since as early as the 7th century BC.
In March 1300, the municipal authorities of Perugia acknowledged that the Romanesque cathedral was no longer adequate for a city undergoing rapid expansion and decided to commission the construction of a more solemn, spacious and luminous building. The architect appointed to this important civic project was Fra Bevignate, a monk of the Benedictine Order of St Silvester, who was also entrusted with the construction of the Fontana Maggiore, the Perugia aqueduct and Orvieto Cathedral—among the most representative architectural expressions of medieval Umbria. Work on the new cathedral officially began only in the second half of the 14th century and continued for over a century, until 1487. The white and pink local stone cladding, which covers only the lower section of the building, bears witness to the lengthy construction process and explains why the long side of the cathedral remains unfinished to this day. The many decorative elements added to the new façade commemorate significant events in the city’s history, such as the Salt War, which pitted Perugia against Pope Paul III in 1540.
Indeed, evidence of this event can be seen above the main entrance, where the wooden statue of the Crucifix of Salt is displayed, and just below, on the steps, stands the monument by the Mannerist sculptor Vincenzo Danti (Perugia, 1530–1576), depicting Julius III (1553), the pope who restored to the city the magistracies it had lost following the war.
A hall church for Perugia
Upon entering the cathedral, its full grandeur is immediately apparent. Light filtering through the colourful stained-glass windows creates a welcoming atmosphere, while the vertical thrust of the octagonal pillars lends breadth to the three naves of equal height, clearly revealing the Gothic nature of this hall church (Hallenkirche), later enriched with Late Baroque elements.
The cathedral’s original appearance has been almost entirely lost due to numerous interior refurbishments that altered its 15th-century features. Polychrome altars once adorned the walls, and its Renaissance character is now only partially visible in the painted decorations of the main sacristy, dating from between 1573 and 1576. From an aesthetic point of view, the most significant intervention dates to the 18th century, with the marble cladding of the ten imposing central pillars commissioned by Bishop Gioacchino Pecci—later Pope Leo XIII—and the creation of the frescoed iconographic programme on the vaults, conceived as a dynamic heavenly vision populated by saints and angels.
MATER GRATIAE
An artwork of profound and enduring devotional affection is the mural painting located on one of the pillars at the centre of the cathedral nave.
The image depicts the Mater Gratiae, the Mother of Grace: Mary, shown pregnant, is the sole protagonist of the painting. She stands with her hands extended forward and her gaze fixed straight ahead, as if moving towards the observer, ready to welcome faith and to act as a mediator between human needs and Jesus. The painting is dated to around 1515. Its author is not known with certainty: some scholars attribute it to Pietro Vannucci, known as Perugino, while others to his pupil Giannicola di Paolo. Even today, this image is the object of deep veneration by the people of Perugia, who for five centuries have entrusted themselves to her protection and intercession, highlighting the profound bond between the Virgin Mary and the city.
THE HOLY RING
San Lorenzo Cathedral stands as a living testament to the history of Perugia and, like a precious casket, still preserves a valuable jewel that arrived in the city as the result of a theft in 1473: the Holy Ring.
According to tradition, this mysterious object was the wedding ring of Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary, previously kept in the city of Chiusi. The “relic” is still housed in the safe located above the altar and is displayed to the public in a magnificent gold reliquary using an 18th-century theatrical mechanism that lowers it into view. This descent takes place only twice a year: on 29 July, commemorating the date when the Ring was entrusted to the cathedral in 1488, and on 12 September, the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary. The chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph, now better known as the Chapel of the Holy Ring, features at the centre of its neoclassical altar the painting The Marriage of the Virgin by the French painter Jean-Baptiste Wicar, completed in 1825. Originally, the chapel housed The Marriage of the Virgin by Pietro Perugino (1501–1504), a masterpiece looted by Napoleon’s army and now preserved at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Caen, France.
CHAPEL OF SAINT BERNARDINE
The cathedral also houses one of the masterpieces of Italian Mannerism, The Deposition of Christ by Federico Barocci (1535–1612),
a work commissioned from the painter from Urbino by the Merchants’ Guild and brought to Perugia on Christmas night in 1569. The painting is located at the centre of the altar in the Chapel of Saint Bernardine and is among the finest works preserved in the city. It represented a crucial point of reference for local painters of the time and for sacred painting in general, thanks to the perfect harmony between form and movement, light and colour, innovation and tradition.
ARTWORKS
San Lorenzo Cathedral is not only a sacred space but an ever-evolving memorial. It is a grand yet welcoming repository that safeguards fragments of Perugia’s religious, social and cultural history.
A gonfalon was created to be carried in procession to invoke the intercession of Mary and the saints so that the plague epidemic afflicting the city might come to an end. The work remains one of the most significant testimonies to the urban history of medieval Perugia, depicting the city’s skyline dominated by ancient tower houses.
Behind the high altar rises one of the masterpieces of Renaissance wood inlay: the intarsia choir stalls signed by Giuliano da Maiano and Domenico del Tasso, dated 1491 and restored through an extensive programme of high-level craftsmanship following the fire of 1985.
Looking upwards, the stained-glass windows created between the 16th and 20th centuries also narrate the passage of time and together form a true Bible of light: colours become mediators of the Word of God and symbols of divine presence.
VISIT
Location:
Piazza IV Novembre, 06123, Perugia (PG)
Cathedral opening hours:
Monday – Sunday
8.30 am – 12.30 pm / 3.30 pm – 7.00 pm
Visiting arrangements:
Free visit. The cathedral cannot be visited during religious services.
Regular Mass celebrations: daily at 11.00 am and 6.00 pm.
For information and bookings for private guided tours and groups:
info@isolasanlorenzo.it
(+39) 075 8241011
(+39) 370 1881907
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