Duomo
 |
The Duomo of Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore |
Duomo is a generic
Italian term for a
cathedral church. The formal word for a church that is presently a cathedral is
cattedrale; a
Duomo may be either a present or a former cathedral (the latter always in a town that no longer has a
bishop nor therefore a cathedral, as for example
Trevi). Such churches are usually referred to simply as
"Il Duomo" or "The Duomo", without regard to the full proper name of the church.
|
The Cathedral of Terracina, in Lazio, a typical example of Italian Romanesque cathedral. |
The term "Duomo" is apparently derived from the conflation of the two
Latin words
Dominus (
Lord) and
Domus (
house) through medieval Italian: a cathedral is "the house of God" —
domus Dei, or
domus Ecclesiae.
Italian cathedrals are often highly decorated and contain notable artworks; in many cases the buildings themselves are true artworks. Perhaps the best known Duomo is
Milan's
Cathedral, but other well-known cathedrals include
Alba,
Ancona,
Mantua,
Parma and
Florence's
Santa Maria del Fiore. Other notable examples are in
Cremona,
Enna,
L'Aquila,
Modena,
Monreale,
Naples,
Orvieto,
Padova,
Piazza Armerina,
Pisa (the
Leaning Tower is its
campanile, bell-tower),
Prato,
San Gimignano,
Siena,
Spoleto, and
Turin.
*
Cathedral*
Cathedral architecture*
Basilica
