NOTRE-DAME DE L'ASSOMPTION CATHEDRAL

Located on a primitive church from the 4th and^5th centuries, the cathedral owes its current appearance to its reconstruction around the year 1000 by one of the most famous and visionary bishops of the city, Anselm, who changed the appearance of the Roman city. Its most significant exterior feature is the presence of two distinct Romanesque bell towers. The larger one is characterised by the presence of four rows of two geminated windows on each façade, which gives it a rather unusual "perforated" appearance. The other has only two rows of windows and a clock. The neoclassical façade, decorated with statues of the patron saints of the town, contains a Renaissance porch with terracotta statues and 16th century frescos. Inside, the central nave ends with a large wooden crucifix hanging over the presbytery; all around, several chapels, including that of the Barons of Cly, contain 16th century frescoes. A beautiful 15th century wooden choir, a 10th century crypt with three naves, mosaics on the Romanesque pavement, and the funerary monument of Count Thomas II of Savoy complete the ensemble. The treasure museum, separate and visitable on request, gathers a collection of sacred art. Every Saturday afternoon, a guided tour gives access to the attic and allows visitors to admire the marvellous 11th century frescos, one of the best preserved examples of Ottonian painting in Europe.