Como Cathedral

Como Cathedral (Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta; Duomo di Como) is the Roman Catholic cathedral of the city of Como, Lombardy, Italy, and the seat of the Bishop of Como. It is dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The cathedral, located near Lake Como, is one of the most important buildings in the region.

It is commonly described as the last Gothic cathedral built in Italy, construction on it having begun, on the site of the earlier Romanesque cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria Maggiore, in 1396, 10 years after the foundation of Milan Cathedral. The construction works, begun under the supervision of Lorenzo degli Spazzi di Laino, did not finish until 1770 with the raising of the Rococo cupola by Filippo Juvarra.

The imposing west front was built between 1457 and 1498 and features a rose window and a portal between two statues of Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, natives of Como. It is 87 metres long, from 36 to 56 metres wide, and 75 metres high into the top of the cupola. It has a Latin Cross floor plan with three aisles, separated by pillars, and a Renaissance transept, with the imposing cupola over the crossing. The apses and the choir are from the 16th century.

The interior has some important tapestries from cartoons by Arcimboldo, and others of the 16th and 17th centuries, made in Ferrara, Florence and Antwerp. There are also a number of 16th century paintings by Bernardino Luini and Gaudenzio Ferrari.