COMO CATHEDRAL, Presentation

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, commonly referred to as Como Cathedral, was built over the course of almost four centuries, starting in 1396 with the first design, modified several times, and ending with the erection of the dome in 1740.

Here stood the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore, of which there are records dating to before the year 1000. At the turn of the 15th century, under the rule of the Visconti family of Milan, it was considered too small and was replaced by the present-day Cathedral.

Great architects such as Lorenzo degli Spazi, Florio da Bontà and Cristoforo Solari were involved in the realization of this work. In the end, it was the Sicilian Filippo Juvarra who was awarded the construction of the dome.

The end result is a beautiful church with a Latin cross plan. Three long naves intersect the transept with the two side chapels of the Assumption and the Crucifix, built between 1627 and 1665, and culminate in the luminous apse.

Admire with what skill, over the centuries, the builders have managed to magnificently marry different styles: the Romanesque of the portals, the Gothic of the façade and many sculptures, and the Renaissance of the church sides.

I particularly recommend you stop to admire the Musso marble façade, divided into three distinct sections by four densely decorated vertical pilasters and embellished, in addition to the huge stained-glass windows and the stunning central rose window, also by numerous statues, mainly made by the workshop of Tommaso Rodari between 1484 and 1526.

In the central band of the façade, on either side of the portal, you can see two aediculas with statues of Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, prominent figures of the Roman Empire, both born in Como around the first century AD.

Immediately above the portal is a depiction of the adoration of the Magi. Going up, on the sides you see two roundels with busts depicting Adam and Eve and, further up, five statues: the Virgin Mary in the center and St. John the Baptist on the left, St. Abundius on the right, and Saints Protus and Hyacinth on the sides.

Around the rose window, on the other hand, you can see in the roundel below, a young boy representing the Holy Spirit, in the side aedicula the Archangel Gabriel on the left and the Virgin on the right, while above is depicted God the Father.

Interesting fact: go in front of the Porta della Rana, or the Frog Gate, located on the left side of the cathedral. On the left jamb, about 2 meters high, is a small amphibian, unfortunately decapitated by a madman with a hammer in 1912, said to bring good luck.