Alessandria Cathedral, Alessandria, Italy

Alessandria Cathedral is dedicated to Saints Peter and Mark. It is the seat of the Bishop of Alessandria. A diocese centred on Alessandria was created in 1175 by Pope Alexander III, and a cathedral dedicated to Saint Peter was built as the bishop's seat at that time. It was too small however, so was demolished and rebuilt between 1288 and 1297. This cathedral was demolished for military tactical reasons on the order of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803.

The dispossessed bishop and chapter received the permission of the French general of the occupying troops to elevate the church of St Mark to the status of cathedral. This church had been built in the 13th century for the use of the Dominicans. The French troops had commandeered it in 1797 for quarters. The church had however to be rebuilt: this took place from 1807 to 1810, and the new Neo-classical cathedral, named after both Saint Peter and Saint Mark, opened in December 1810.

A major restoration was carried out from 1875 to 1879, and the cathedral was actually consecrated only in 1879, at the end of these further works. The interior was badly damaged by fire in 1925, and was extensively refurbished between 1925 and 1929.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Robert Sobczak (12 months ago)
The cathedral may be too much in the name, but I think it is worth spending a few moments and visiting it while in Allesandri

Jan Verhoeven (2 years ago)
Beautiful cathedral, where the slender bell tower is particularly striking, it is a beautiful bell tower. Alessandria is a beautiful city for shopping. There are beautiful arcades and markets.

Paweł Piotr Sucholeski (2 years ago)
A beautiful, majestic cathedral with rich interiors. A three-nave basilica with a transept and a dome at the intersection of the main nave and transept. From the outside, on the side there is a tall and slender tower - the bell tower. The interior with numerous, richly decorated altars. It is definitely worth leaving the highway and visiting the city, if only to see the cathedral.

Pasq. 22 (3 years ago)
Cattedrale davvero bella. Situata in centro e raggiungibile benissimo a piedi, la cattedrale si presenta fuori con una bella facciata di impatto e il campanile ancora più bello; all'interno tutto decorato e pieno di opere da vedere. Il tetto è un qualcosa di stupendo.

Ciro Magliulo (3 years ago)
Mammoth cathedral; walking through the aisles took me back in time, it was like being in one of those ancient gothic cathedrals. The frescoes and the central dome with the statues of the knights of the Lombard league are beautiful. Not to mention the huge bell tower, 106 m high but which to the eye seems much more motion. For those who are in the area and love excursions and visits, it is certainly a very suggestive place to visit, rich in history and knowledge. ⛪

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.

Alessandria Cathedral

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus