The Church
At the heart of Volterra, a small jewel box of Etruscan, Roman and modern treasures, the cathedral and the baptistery rise at the back of Piazza dei Priori.
Today, the cathedral appears as a layered monumental complex, where the still perceptible medieval plan was changed by subsequent additions.
Erroneously attributed to Nicola Pisano by Giorgio Vasari, the edifice was built between the late 11th and the 12th centuries, when the territory acquired the building modes from Pisan, Florentine and Siena masters.
The interior guards a magnificent marble pulpit by master Guglielmo’s workshop and a beautiful wooden Deposition dating from the 13th century.
The campanile, a high tower in dichromatic masonry built in the 16th century, is singularly located at one end of the square.
Description »
The cathedral of Volterra stands as an original example of Romanesque architecture, gathering building modes from different cultural areas (Pisa, Florence, Lucca, Siena, Lombard area). The edifice was reworked in subsequent ages and shows a Latin-cross plan, increased through the addition of various bodies.
The façade is divided into three levels by string-courses in Pignano tuff. The basement section is marked by a central portal in white marble, surmounted by a semicircular lunette in dichromatic marbles, decorated with geometrical motifs. The portal is sided by two blind arches resting on piers, with the insertion of moulded lozenges; the arches are not reiterated on the façade portions related to the aisles. These spaces once hosted the side portals, of which only one is still visible, even though it has been walled up.
A large rose window opens on the upper course.
The last course is decorated by Lombard bands springing from pilasters and crowning the gable roof profile; in the central area, a small rose window is adorned with white and green marbles, symbolising the shape of the sun.
The Lombard bands in Pignano tuff run along either side walls and are surmounted by a band decorated with vegetal and geometric patterns.
The right side is marked by blind arcades, resting on pilasters of semicircular section, clamped to the load-bearing walls thanks to ashlars with raised edges, also found in the specialized masonry built by Pisan workers in Pisa, Sardinia and Corsica.
The internal space is divided into three naves by two rows of arcades resting on columns, while the presbyterial area is remarkably raised and hosts a few important chapels.
History »
Tradition has it that the earlier cathedral rose on the plain of Castello, where the ‘Enrico Fiumi’ archaeological park is sited today; yet, a few scholars argue that the church was built in the area of Monte Bradoni.
A new cathedral was built between the 8th and the 9th century in the same place where it stands now. Then, the edifice was enlarged between the late 9th and the early 12th century.
For a long time, historiography had been supporting Giorgio Vasari’s deep-rooted idea that works should be attributed to Nicola Pisano and put off to the 13th century.
The layout assumed its present appearance throughout the centuries. The apsidal area was changed between the 13th and the 14th century: a new choir was built, along with some chapels meant to host a few sculptural and painting masterpieces.
In the Counter-Reformation age, the cathedral interiors were adjusted to suit the changed liturgical needs: new altars were built and embellished with works by important painters.
In 1580, Francesco Capriani from Volterra, an already affirmed architect in the papal Rome, started a restoration project for the whole edifice, creating the coffered ceiling as well, of which some parts are conserved today at the Museum of Sacred Art.
Works »
The cathedral façade has kept evident Romanesque features showing the influence of Pisan building modes: round-arch arcades and lozenge decorations, Lombard band motifs and decorated corbels along the perimeter walls of the edifice.
The cathedral interior hosts a magnificent example of marble pulpit, placed between the nave and the left aisle, restored in the 16th century. Decorated with sculpted panels illustrating evangelical scenes, the work was attributed to Guglielmo’s workshop and recalls works of the Pisan school. Datable from the 12th century, it was moved to the present area in 1583.
The Crucifix chapel houses a beautiful wooden Deposition completed by 1228, a polychrome sculptural group of Burgundian inspiration and scenographic mark, comparable to the one kept in the pieve of Vicopisano.
Inside the Museum of Sacred Art are some interesting sculptural pieces of medieval age, belonging to the cathedral.
Restorations »
The most significant restoration work was carried out in 1842 by the Florentine architect Francesco Mazzeo Mazzei. The coffered ceiling over the aisles was dismantled and replaced by the present vaults; the walls were painted in white and grey pseudo-ashlars and capitals were restored.
Works for the construction of a new presbytery, under a project by Aristodemo Solaini from Volterra, brought to light the ruins of the medieval choir, once placed in proximity of the present stairways.
Bibliography »
F. Lessi, P. G. Bocci, U. Bavoni, Chiese di Volterra, Firenze, Nardini, 2000, vol.1.
U. Bavoni, La cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta e il Museo diocesano di arte sacra di Volterra, Firenze, IFI, 1997.
La Cattedrale di Volterra tra maniera e riforma, catalogo della mostra (Volterra 1994), Venezia, Marsilio, 1994.
Location
