Viterbo. Cathedral of San Lorenzo (Saint Lawrence)

The cathedral of San Lorenzo (Saint Lawrence) is located opposite the Palazzo dei Papi (Palace of the Popes) in the highest point of Viterbo.

Here there traces of an ancient Etruscan settlement, probably a temple dedicated to Hercules, were also found. The columns at the sides of the main portal are said to have come from this ancient temple.

In the 9th century, a first church was built, dedicated to San Lorenzo, which was later elevated to a cathedral by Pope Celestine III in 1193. The year before, the pope himself had declared Viterbo an episcopal see.

On April 5, 1268, precisely in this church Pope Clement IV excommunicated Conradin (Corradino of Swabia) and meetings of the conclave took place.

The nearby bell tower dates back to 1368 and is characterized by an upper part in stripes of peperino and travertine that create the characteristic play of colour of the Tuscan-Gothic style.

In this upper part the bell tower has 4 rows of finely worked marble mullioned windows and ends with an octagonal cuspid roof.

During the Renaissance, the church underwent considerable changes, such as a new façade commissioned by Cardinal de Gambara, whose name is carved into the string course, and inside the roof was changed with vaults, the church was lengthened by demolishing an apse and creating a choir gallery and the cardinal had 10 new chapels opened, destroying the original frescoes.

In 1887 the floor was then renovated following the cosmatesque style of the Romanesque.

But the real changes occurred as a result of the Second World War during which a bomb hit the church. The restoration brought to light the original Romanesque appearance and 8 side chapels that were closed.

Even the choir was separated from the church by reconstructing the ancient apse of the Romanesque church, the new environment that was thus formed with the superb wooden choir and frescoes of the seventeenth century that became the private chapel of the bishop.

Today the church appears with an austere appearance, with 3 naves in correspondence of 3 modern entrance doors in sculpted bronze by the artist Roberto Joppolo. The doors were inaugurated in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI.

The naves are separated by 24 peperino columns with sculpted capitals and the roof is wooden trusses with tiles painted in 1460 by Paolo di Matteo.

Next to the cathedral is the museum of the cathedral chapter where there is also the bust of Princess Letizia Bonaparte, cousin of Emperor Napoleon III, who lived in Viterbo and went to the cathedral.