Trento Cathedral

About

Trento Cathedral (Italian: Cattedrale di San Vigilio, Duomo di Trento; German: Kathedrale Trient; Trentino dialect: Dòm) is the main church in the city of Trento. It serves as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Trento and was elevated to the rank of minor basilica by Pope Pius X on 18 March 1913. It was also designated an Italian national monument by royal decree in 1940. Originally constructed as a cemetery basilica, the cathedral was founded in the 4th century by Saint Vigilius to house the remains of the martyrs of Anaunia. It has undergone several construction phases over the centuries. Notably, a complete reconstruction was initiated by the Prince-Bishop Federico Vanga in the early 13th century and continued into the 16th century, resulting in the current Romanesque-Gothic forms. Subsequent modifications have further shaped the structure. The remains of the ancient Paleochristian Basilica of San Vigilio are preserved and displayed beneath the current floor level. Located in the city center, the cathedral forms the southern boundary of Piazza Duomo with its left flank, while the Palazzo Pretorio is annexed to the left side of the presbytery. Externally, the cathedral features two...

Archaeological excavations conducted since the mid-20th century have revealed that the area where the cathedral stands, just outside the walls of ancient Tridentum near the Porta Veronensis (located at the Torre Civica), was urbanized between the 1st and 2nd century with primarily commercial structures. By the late 3rd century, these were largely abandoned, and in the following century, parts were repurposed for the construction of the first basilica on the site.

According to the Passio Sancti Vigilii (composed between the late 7th century and early 8th century), Vigilius, Bishop of Trento, built the basilica to house the remains of the martyrs of Anaunia, killed in 397, and was himself buried there upon his death in 400 or 405. At the time, another church, located at the site of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, served as the cathedral, while the present cathedral was established as a cemetery church. It is estimated that between the 5th and 6th century, over 200 floor burials with inscriptions existed, of which approximately 80 have been uncovered. Some sources suggest the church founded by Vigilius was dedicated to Saints Gervasius and Protasius. The dedication to Saint Vigilius likely occurred during the episcopate of Eugippius (6th century).

The original structure consisted of a large nave 14 meters wide and over 43 meters long, terminating in an apse of indeterminate shape. The facade, built on a Roman wall, featured a large central portal, possibly flanked by two smaller ones. In front, there was a pronaos and a walled atrium, initially paved with clay and later with stone slabs. By the 6th century, the presbytery was raised by one step and accessed via two lateral gates located about 32.5 meters from the facade.

From the second half of the 6th century, likely under Bishop Eugippius, burials continued only outside the church, and internal tombs were covered by a new floor, partially decorated with mosaic. Simultaneously, a podium extending about two meters into the nave was added to the presbytery, enclosed by a barrier with carved slabs and pillars and a central access. Flanking the presbytery were two identical sacella, square in plan with semicircular apses, each containing an altar and a colonnaded niche housing a sarcophagus. The southern sacellum’s sarcophagus, from the Lombard period (late 7th to early 8th century), is still intact.

The height difference between the nave and presbytery was leveled between the late 8th and 9th century with a new stone slab floor, and the interior was likely divided into multiple naves. The facade was modified by sealing the lateral portals and erecting an avant-corps with three arches supported by pillars, possibly sustaining a loggia. These changes may have been promoted by Iltigarius, the first Franco-Germanic bishop of Trento, who is credited with erecting a new altar in the church. Between the 9th and 10th century, a new episcopal residence (now the Castelletto del Palazzo Pretorio) was built between the Porta Veronensis and the basilica, which then became the cathedral of the diocese.

Further modifications occurred in the first half of the 11th century under Bishop Udalric II (1022–1055). The nave was divided into three sections by pairs of pillars and pilasters, with square bays in the main nave and rectangular ones in the side naves. The two sacella were incorporated into the nave by demolishing the wall separating them from the presbytery, transforming them into transept arms. A raised presbytery with frontal staircases was constructed, with a crypt beneath accessible by lateral stairs. All areas were repaved, leveling the height difference between the interior and exterior, which had increased over centuries due to sediment from the nearby Fersina stream.

In the 12th century, Bishop Altemanno made further changes. The terminal part of the structure was rebuilt with three apses, which, together with the two former sacella in the transept, totaled five. The crypt was also rebuilt, enlarged, and given a cross-shaped plan with a central hall divided into three small vaulted naves and two apsed lateral wings. On 18 November 1145, the basilica was reconsecrated by the Patriarch of Aquileia Pellegrinus and the Bishop of Concordia Gervico. Altemanno dedicated the crypt to Saint Maxentia, believed to be Saint Vigilius’s mother, transferring her relics from Maiano (now Santa Massenza, a hamlet of Vallelaghi ).

From the 13th to the 16th century: Vanga’s reconstruction and the Council

Less than a century later, Prince-Bishop Federico Vanga, appointed in 1207, decided to completely rebuild the cathedral, entrusting the project to the Comacine master Adamo d’Arogno from Ticino. The cornerstone was laid on 29 February 1212, though the exact completion date and subsequent consecration are unknown, as construction spanned over a century. Vanga died in the Holy Land in 1218 during the Fifth Crusade, leaving the project to his successors, which slowed progress significantly.

Construction began with the apse area, progressing toward the facade without initially demolishing the older structure. Construction was likely mostly finished by the early 1230s. Around 1236, Adamo d’Arogno died, and his descendants, including his son Enrico and grandsons Zanibono and Adamo, took over. From the second half of the 13th century, fresco decoration of the interior began, continuing into the next century, with contributions from artists primarily from Verona, Bologna, and Lombardy.

The construction saw numerous design changes. Under Egidio da Campione (documented as construction manager from 1305) and Bishop Heinrich III. von Metz (1310–1336), the architectural style shifted from Adamo’s Lombard approach to a Carolingian -inspired Gothic, creating a contrast between the cathedral’s front and apse areas. Egidio completed the south flank, the facade up to the rose window, and the lower part of the bell tower. The patronage of Guglielmo da Castelbarco was notable in the facade work. The cathedral was planned with twin bell towers, but only the northern one was completed; the southern tower remained unfinished due to structural, economic, and stylistic reasons, leaving only the lower part of its shaft.

The upper facade and the vault of the first bay were likely completed under Bishop Georg Hack (1446–1465). The 15th century also saw the raising of two additional levels of the bell tower and the construction of a wall concealing the northern apse to enhance its decorum and align with the Castelletto. A starry sky motif may have decorated the vaults during this period.

In 1490, Domenico di Taio was hired to rebuild the central nave roof, and Bernardo Frisoni da Laino was tasked with constructing the lantern, completed in 1515 under Bishop Bernardo Clesio (hence called the “Clesian dome”). During Clesio’s era, the northern prothyrum was also rebuilt. The 16th century saw the construction of the organ (1506–09), lead roof covering (1515), and further elevation of the bell tower (1521), which barely exceeded the roofline. These works were so problematic that, in 1523, the canons arrested two of the three responsible masters. They released the masters only after taking their children hostage to ensure the works were completed. The bell tower was depicted with a four-pitched roof in a 1562–63 map by Vavassore.

The 16th century marked two significant events in the cathedral. On 4 February 1508, Maximilian I, en route to Rome for his imperial coronation, was blocked by Venetians and crowned in the cathedral by Cardinal Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg, the first papal-approved imperial coronation not performed by the pope. More significantly, between 1545 and 1563, the cathedral hosted solemn sessions of the Council of Trent, convened by Pope Paul III to address the Protestant Reformation. The first eight sessions, including the opening on 13 December 1545, took place in the choir and sometimes the main nave. After the eighth session on 10 March 1547, the Council was suspended and moved to Bologna due to fears of an epidemic. The eleventh session was held in the cathedral’s choir on 30 April 1551, but the Council was interrupted again on 28 April 1552. Sessions resumed on 18 January 1561, primarily at the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, except for the final two sessions (24th and 25th) on 11 November and 3 December 1563.

The 17th century began with the relocation of lateral altars in 1618 and the high altar in 1629, ordered by Carlo Gaudenzio Madruzzo, followed by the demolition (1660–73) of a three-arched rood screen between the canons’ choir and the main nave. The most significant intervention was the construction of the Chapel of the Crucifix, or Alberti Chapel, annexed to the southern flank and completed in 1687. Its cornerstone was laid on 6 April 1682 with the blessing of Bishop Francesco Alberti Poja, intended as his funerary chapel.

In the 18th century, a major decorative campaign was undertaken in fulfillment of a vow made by the population during the 1703 siege of Trento. The nave walls and vaults were frescoed by Louis Dorigny, Giuseppe Antonio Caccioli, and Gaspare Antonio Baroni, with modifications to the dome. The wooden choir of the Holy Angels was built in the main apse, and the grand baldachin high altar required lowering the presbytery by about four meters, demolishing the 13th-century crypt (its remains are now part of the Paleochristian basilica’s archaeological area). By 1717, the bell tower’s pyramidal roof was replaced with an onion-shaped one.

The 19th century saw modifications around the cathedral. In 1828, excavations uncovered the buried perimeter molding. In 1835, the 17th-century Madonna chapel between the northern prothyrum and the transept corner was demolished. Between 1840 and 1842, the pavement of Piazza della Legna (now Piazza d’Arogno) was lowered, and a staircase to Via Borgonuovo (now Via Garibaldi) was added. In 1888, 14th-century Gothic houses facing the cathedral’s facade were demolished, expanding the parvis toward present-day Via Verdi. The dome, restored in 1817, was rebuilt from 1824 to around 1845, along with other roofing. In 1844–1845, Bishop Johann Nepomuk von Tschiderer zu Gleifheim restored the Chapel of the Crucifix.

In 1858, Viennese architect August Essenwein was commissioned for a comprehensive restoration, proposing a radical transformation, including reinstating the crypt, removing the dome, altering the bell tower, and completing the unfinished twin tower. Only the stained glass of the rose window and the wooden panels of the main doors (created by Tommaso Campi in 1863) were completed.

The cathedral required urgent repairs, leading to the closure of the main nave in 1878–1879. In 1882, renovations began under Enrico Nordio ’s design and direction. Baroque frescoes in the naves were removed, replaced with starry sky decorations by Giuseppe Lona, and the lantern and dome were rebuilt, with the roof changed to a two-pitched design. Nordio left Trento in 1888 under unclear circumstances, and Ludwig Pulsator took over in 1889, overseeing the decoration of the semi-dome, choir, crossing, and dome by Luigi Spreafico until completion in 1890. In 1893, Bishop Valussi replaced the floor, removing tombstones, and in 1896, the minor naves’ roofing was redone.