Duomo

In a small square, which complements it to calculated effect, is Santa Maria Matricolare, the Cathedral of Verona. Built on the site of a previous Early Christian church and consecrated in 1187, the Cathedral has a façade which is a perfect composite of Romanesque and Gothic forms. The grandiose porch, consisting of a double baldachin supported by columns resting on stylised lion figures, is particularly striking. The portal is the work of Nicolò, the same artist who was responsible for the porch of San Zeno; here he sculpted various figures, including prophets and animals, the legendary heroes dear to the Middle Ages and Biblical figures. At the sides of the porch, two large Gothic windows are cut into the façade, while above it are three rows of miniature arcades, producing a chiaroscuro of light and shade. Higher up on the facade are spires and pinnacles which create an ever lighter effect towards the top The bell-tower, the lower part of which is Romanesque, betrays the hand of Sanmicheli in the central section, while the uppert part was completed by Fagiuoli in 1926. The interior is divided into three naves, with composite pillars of red marble supporting the ponderous arcades from which the cruciform vaults diverge. The church contains numerous works of art, among them the splendid tomb of St. Agatha, created by an unknown master in 1353 and above the altar in the Nichesola Chapel, is the only work painted by Titian in Verona, the Assumption, which he did between 1535 and 1540.