CATTEDRALE SAN LORENZO

In Piazza del 4-November, in front of the Palazzo dei Priori, stands this Gothic cathedral, whose left façade can first be seen. A first church dedicated to San Lorenzo, martyred in Rome in 258, was built from the 9th century on top of the ancient forum of the Etruscan-Roman city. Today no trace of the first construction remains. The present church, designed in the 14th century, took its present form in the 15th century. Erected between 1345 and 1430, it has an unfinished façade. The bronze statue of Julius III that adorns its staircase is a work of Vincenzo Danti (16th century). The interior with its three naves of equal height, the wooden choir made by Giuliano da Maiano and Domenico del Tasso (in the chapel on the left called Santo Anello), and the ornaments on the ceiling are surprising. The Chapel of St. Bernardine also houses the Deposition of the Cross by Federico Barocci (1569).

Within the museum (called Il Museo del Capitolo della Cattedrale di San Lorenzo), adjacent to the Cathedral, there are great works of art, including the altarpiece by Luca Signorelli, Madonna in Trono, and Pietà by Bartolomeo Caporali.

It is not uncommon for the inhabitants to meet in front of this cathedral, which is located in a symbolic place of the city, the main square in the centre. You will see the Perugins waiting on the steps in front of the Fontana Maggiore (Great Fountain) made of white and pink marble and adorned with sculptures by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano.