CATHEDRAL OF PESCIA

The majestic 20th-century structure, designed by the architect Giuseppe Castellucci of Arezzo in the late 1800s, hides the building’s medieval origins.

The main architectural transformation of the Cathedral of Pescia dates back to the mid-17th century, when it was almost entirely rebuilt to a design by Antonio Maria Ferri. The original Latin cross plan was thus replaced by a single nave structure with side chapels in the presbytery and topped by a dome.

Inside, the Cathedral is elegant and austere: three chapels on each side flank the wide nave, covered by a ribbed vault. The cornices, capitals and paintings adorning the colorful marble tabernacles contribute to the solemnity of the interior space.

In the transept is the chapel of the Holy Sacrament, also known as the Turini Chapel. The best-known member of the Turini family was Monsignor Baldassarre, whose marble portrait inside the chapel was created by Pierino da Vinci, Leonardo’s nephew.

Tradition has it that the unusual erect pose in which he was portrayed is a reference to Turini’s “miraculous awakening” from death at the very moment in which Raphael’s panel of the Madonna of the Baldacchino, which had been his property, was removed from the Cathedral by order of Prince Ferdinando.

In 2018-2019, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the founding of the Pescia Diocese, preservative restoration work was one on the Cathedral, which mainly involved the nave, the dome and the chancel. The latter underwent a liturgical adaptation conducted by the architect Fabrizio Rossi Prodi, which called for the construction of a new altar, a new throne and an ambo that unites the remains of the medieval pulpit with contemporary elements.

CATHEDRAL OF PESCIA

The majestic 20th-century structure, designed by the architect Giuseppe Castellucci of Arezzo in the late 1800s, hides the building’s medieval origins.

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