Pisan-Romanesque arcades enhance the apse of the Duomo di San Martino in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. The apse is part of the cathedral’s original 11th century structure.
Duomo di San Martino, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy: eastern apse of Lucca Cathedral, dedicated to St Martin of Tours. Pisan-Romanesque arcades enhance the apse which is part of the present cathedral’s original structure. A cathedral in Lucca was, according to tradition, built by the will of San Frediano, Bishop of Lucca, who died in 588. The present cathedral was built between 1060 and 1070 and then consecrated in 1070 by Anselmo da Baggio, Pope Alexander II, in the presence of Countess Matilde of Canossa. Work on the cathedral continued until 1637 when the Sanctuary Chapel was built. The apse was drawn by John Ruskin (1819 - 1900). The cathedral’s facade, inspired by that of Pisa Cathedral, is a masterpiece of Pisan-Romanesque architecture due to the work of Lombard master sculptor Guido or Guidetto Bigarelli, known as Guido da Como (1220 - c. 1257). The marble portico has three arches and bas-reliefs depicting the martyrdom of San Regolo, the cycle of the months and scenes from the life of of San Martino. Under the portico were the desks of money changers who did business with pilgrims travelling the Via Francigena, the ancient road to Rome that passes through Lucca: for this reason there is a monumental inscription reminding the money changers not to defraud their customers. A mysterious labyrinth, reminiscent of a labyrinth on the floor of Chartres Cathedral, is carved on one of the portico’s pillars. The Latin inscription at the side of the labyrinth translates as “this is the Labyrinth of Daedalus of Crete from which no one who entered could exit, except Theseus helped by Ariadne’s thread”.
Size: 3872px × 2592px
Location: Duomo di San Martino, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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