The history of the Cathedral of Como has ancient roots, a history that has its roots with the beginning of the works in 1396, historically we are at the dawn of the Italian Renaissance, until it reaches completion in the eighteenth century. Commonly known as the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, it is undoubtedly the most emblematic monument of the city of Como. This majestic religious building represents a splendid example of Renaissance, Baroque and Gothic architecture and contains an incredible history that lasted more than six hundred years.
In terms of size, it is the third religious building in Lombardy, after the Duomo of Milan and the Certosa di Pavia, of which it is contemporary. It is an articulated and complex architecture, which blends in a single building different interpretations of space and different stylistic expressions, each specific to its time. The continuity of the building over time (the Gothic facade and naves were built in the 15th century, the presbytery and side apses in the 16th century and the dome in the 18th century) has however maintained an architectural harmony which has been renewed from age to age, linking the layout of the new parts to the proportions defined in the previous era.
The architect responsible for its first design phase was Lorenzo degli Spazzi, but over the following centuries, the Duomo underwent numerous modifications and extensions which contributed to making it the imposing building we can admire today. At first glance, the imposing facade is immediately striking, which was completed during the 16th century. The Renaissance-style facade, made of white Candoglia marble from the quarries of Lake Maggiore, has an elegant sculptural decoration and numerous spiers that rise towards the sky. In the center of the facade, above the main portal, there is a large marble rose, decorated with a series of delicate floral intertwining.
The portals on the right wall are very rich in decorations, among which the most famous is the gate “of the Frog”. Although this gate is located along the northern side of the Cathedral, today it is used as the main entrance for visitors and tourists. Most likely for its spectacularity. Sculpted around 1507 by the Rodari, a family of Italian-Swiss sculptors, the gate of the Frog took this name around the end of the 1800s. Many conjectures and hypotheses, more or less plausible, underlie this curious name. The first theory is linked to a series of floods of Lake Como. According to legend, the lake’s waters would have reached the height of that portal and a frog would have "petrified" on it. Another (very imaginative) interpretation concerns the presence of a Ticino priest, who managed to obtain permission to dig near the Cathedral. This is because he was convinced that the frog was a sign linked to the presence of a rich treasure underneath the Cathedral. Unfortunately for him it was not like this, the excavations ended without having found anything. From a symbolic point of view, the frog represents the metamorphosis, the transformation that arises from the need for change.
The completion of the centuries-old construction site of the cathedral was decided in 1731, in that era of prosperity which was the Habsburg government of Lombardy. For the construction of a dome, the architect Carlo Fontana was first consulted, who in 1688 had proposed as many as three different projects for the completion of the cathedral; after some hesitation, the project by the Messina architect Filippo Juvarra was approved. The construction of the dome was completed, not without hardships (Juvarra himself died in 1736) and after numerous changes during construction, in 1740 almost three and a half centuries had passed since the foundation of the cathedral. With this intervention by a "foreign" architect, the Baroque era can also be considered concluded in Como. Thirty years after its completion, the dome was however the subject of a remodeling work, supervised by the architect Giulio Galliori.
If you pass by here you absolutely cannot miss this beauty!
In terms of size, it is the third religious building in Lombardy, after the Duomo of Milan and the Certosa di Pavia, of which it is contemporary. It is an articulated and complex architecture, which blends in a single building different interpretations of space and different stylistic expressions, each specific to its time. The continuity of the building over time (the Gothic facade and naves were built in the 15th century, the presbytery and side apses in the 16th century and the dome in the 18th century) has however maintained an architectural harmony which has been renewed from age to age, linking the layout of the new parts to the proportions defined in the previous era.
The architect responsible for its first design phase was Lorenzo degli Spazzi, but over the following centuries, the Duomo underwent numerous modifications and extensions which contributed to making it the imposing building we can admire today. At first glance, the imposing facade is immediately striking, which was completed during the 16th century. The Renaissance-style facade, made of white Candoglia marble from the quarries of Lake Maggiore, has an elegant sculptural decoration and numerous spiers that rise towards the sky. In the center of the facade, above the main portal, there is a large marble rose, decorated with a series of delicate floral intertwining.
The portals on the right wall are very rich in decorations, among which the most famous is the gate “of the Frog”. Although this gate is located along the northern side of the Cathedral, today it is used as the main entrance for visitors and tourists. Most likely for its spectacularity. Sculpted around 1507 by the Rodari, a family of Italian-Swiss sculptors, the gate of the Frog took this name around the end of the 1800s. Many conjectures and hypotheses, more or less plausible, underlie this curious name. The first theory is linked to a series of floods of Lake Como. According to legend, the lake’s waters would have reached the height of that portal and a frog would have "petrified" on it. Another (very imaginative) interpretation concerns the presence of a Ticino priest, who managed to obtain permission to dig near the Cathedral. This is because he was convinced that the frog was a sign linked to the presence of a rich treasure underneath the Cathedral. Unfortunately for him it was not like this, the excavations ended without having found anything. From a symbolic point of view, the frog represents the metamorphosis, the transformation that arises from the need for change.
The completion of the centuries-old construction site of the cathedral was decided in 1731, in that era of prosperity which was the Habsburg government of Lombardy. For the construction of a dome, the architect Carlo Fontana was first consulted, who in 1688 had proposed as many as three different projects for the completion of the cathedral; after some hesitation, the project by the Messina architect Filippo Juvarra was approved. The construction of the dome was completed, not without hardships (Juvarra himself died in 1736) and after numerous changes during construction, in 1740 almost three and a half centuries had passed since the foundation of the cathedral. With this intervention by a "foreign" architect, the Baroque era can also be considered concluded in Como. Thirty years after its completion, the dome was however the subject of a remodeling work, supervised by the architect Giulio Galliori.
If you pass by here you absolutely cannot miss this beauty!