Duomo Nuovo (Summer Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta)
Duomo Nuovo (Summer Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta)Piazza Paolo VI - Brescia BShttps://www.diocesi.brescia.it
The Duomo of Brescia: more than a cathedral. A statement of identity.
In Piazza Paolo VI, the Duomo - also known as the Summer Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta - isn’t only the city's main church and the seat of the diocese of Brescia: it’s a symbol that defies the centuries.
Built between 1604 and 1825, it stands on the site of the early Christian basilica of San Pietro de Dom, and next to the Old Cathedral, forming a majestic complex that chronicles centuries of architecture.
HISTORY
The history of the Duomo Nuovo began in 1603, when Agostino Avanzo was commissioned to evaluate the area occupied by the ancient basilica of San Pietro de Dom, which was by then in a critical condition. A drastic change was needed: a safer building, which reflected both the ideas of the Counter-Reformation and the architectural taste of the time. And Brescia wasted no time.
The first to come up with a design was Avanzo, who envisaged a Latin cross church with three naves, a central dome and side altars. But soon the young architect Giovanni Battista Lantana proposed a more modern vision. The commission, however, consisting of the municipality and the bishop, rejected both proposals, judging them to be insufficiently in line with the Tridentine prescriptions on sacred architecture.
Lantana didn’t give up. He drafted a whole new design: a Greek cross plan with a large central dome, four smaller ones around it, and a projecting apse. This time the proposal was approved by the committee.
However, one point remained unresolved: where to build it? In place of the old basilica, or on the south side of the square, where it would dominate the scene in full Baroque style? That area, however, was occupied by the villa of the Negroboni family, who in return wanted a new residence complete with a park. Too complicated, too expensive.
Brescia chose the most practical option: demolish San Pietro de Dom and start over from there.
THE FAÇADE
Clad in Botticino marble, the façade of the Duomo Nuovo is divided into two orders: the lower order houses the side entrances, while the upper order is more slender and decorative. Everything follows the Corinthian order with elegance and rigour.
In the centre is the main portal, surmounted by the bust of Cardinal Querini, sculpted by Antonio Calegari in 1750. Above, a large window and triangular tympanum with the Brescia coat of arms affirm the link between church and city.
Statues of the Assumption and the apostles Peter, Paul, James and John look down from on high, flanked by those of Saints Faustinus, Jovita and John the Baptist, arranged between the apse and sides.
Ph Christian Penocchio
THE INTERIOR
The floor plan is in the shape of a Greek cross, with a single nave revolving around the central space, dominated by the large dome. The deep apse defines its axis and observes the rules of the Counter-Reformation, without sacrificing the balance of the structure.
Corinthian columns, echoing those of the façade, are repeated inside at regular intervals. The dome rests on a high drum illuminated by large windows, and is supported by four pillars refined by eight Corinthian columns. Measuring 80 metres from the base to the lantern of the dome, it was among the highest in Italy at the time of its construction.
Adorning the pendentives are marble busts of the Evangelists: John and Luke by Santo Calegari the Younger, Mark and Matthew by Giovanni Battista Carboni. The intradoses and dome feature coffers with rosettes in marble, some replaced with cement copies after the war.
The light is clear, almost sky blue. It bounces off the white stucco and marble, creating an essential atmosphere.
The rosettes, statues, columns, cornices and lunettes above the side altars are all made of genuine marble. Because in Brescia, beauty is material.