3 – CATHEDRAL OF SAINT MARIA ASSUNTA (ENG)

The construction of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, which would become the Cathedral of the Diocese of Pontremoli in 1787, was the result of a vow made by the city’s population, asking the Virgin Mary to put an end to the terrible plague that ravaged the region in the early decades of the 17th century. As early as June 1622, during a plague epidemic, the city’s General Council pledged to celebrate the Feast of the Visitation of Mary each year with Masses and the offering of twelve pounds of wax. On July 7, 1630, the people of the town reaffirmed this solemn vow and decided to erect a temple in honor of the Blessed Virgin.

Construction of the grand church began in 1636, based on a design created three years earlier by the Cremonese architect Alessandro Capra. The dome was completed in 1683, and in 1687, the church was opened to the faithful. However, numerous modifications continued throughout the 19th century, culminating in the completion of the façade in 1881. The bronze entrance door, a remarkable work by sculptor Riccardo Rossi, was created in 1965.

The church’s Baroque interior follows a Latin cross plan, with the dome rising above the intersection of the nave and the transepts. The apse and presbytery are richly decorated with gilded stuccoes, crafted in 1760 by the Portugalli, a dynasty of Ticinese artists who had been active in Pontremoli since 1732. The transepts and central nave were completed a century later, built over the perspective decoration by Francesco Natali, which had unfortunately already deteriorated, as revealed by restoration efforts in the late 20th century.

Also by Natali are two early 18th-century frescoes on the nave’s vault, depicting the “Glory of Saint Rose of Lima” and the “Glory of Saint Geminianus”, the city’s patron saints.

At the center of the apse, a wooden statue from the 13th century represents the Virgin enthroned with the Child. Over time, it was dressed in the style of the “Madonna of Loreto” and has been venerated in Pontremoli under the title Madonna del Popolo. This statue originally belonged to the Church of Santa Maria di Piazza, upon which the current church was built.

For centuries, the statue was an object of devotion in the town. Following medieval tradition, it was adorned with precious silk garments during festive occasions. This practice likely became permanent in the 1720s, when the image adopted the iconography under which it has since been worshiped.

The presbytery houses four 18th-century paintings on canvas, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. From left to right, they depict the “Visitation” by Vincenzo Meucci, the “Nativity of Jesus” by Giovanni Domenico Ferretti, the “Marriage of the Virgin” by Giuseppe Peroni, and the “Assumption of the Blessed Virgin” by Giuseppe Bottani. These are part of a cycle of altarpieces dedicated to the life of Mary.

The transcepts also feature significant paintings. In the left transept is “The Deposition” by Giuseppe Collignon, while the right transept contains “The Adoration of the Magi” by Domenico Corvi and “The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple” (1798) by the French artist Jacques Berger.

A noteworthy painting in the left transept, “The Oath of the Pontremoli City Council During the Plague of 1622”, was completed in 1792 by Giovanni Battista Tempesti. This artwork commemorates the community’s vow, which is still renewed annually on July 2. On this occasion, during the solemn Mass, city officials offer wax to the church as prescribed, and in the late afternoon, a well-attended procession winds through the historic center.