In Piazza della Repubblica, the heart of the city and the hub of social and religious life, stands the beautiful Foligno Cathedral. The cathedral, dedicated to the town’s patron saint Feliciano, was erected in 1133 by the master architect Atto, as evidenced by an inscription on the main facade. The building, built on the remains of the saint’s burial site to which it is dedicated, was superimposed on a pre-existing construction dating back to the 9th-10th centuries and has undergone numerous restorations and modifications up until the modern era.
The front main façade opens onto the small piazza del Duomo and was freely restored in 1904 with a mosaic depicting “Christ on the Throne”, Saint Feliciano and Messalina (protectors of the city) and Pope Leo XIII (commissioner of the work).
But the actual façade of the church, worthy of note and with some valuable works, opens on the left side of the building onto Piazza della Repubblica and presents a magnificent Romanesque door made in 1201 by the masters Rodolfo and Binello; it is decorated with bas-reliefs depicting Frederick Barbarossa, Innocenzo III, the symbols of the evangelists and some of the zodiac signs.
The church dome inside is a sixteenth-century work of the master Giuliano di Baccio D’Agnolo, whereas the interior, completely transformed between 1772 and 1819, is a neoclassical masterpiece by Giuseppe Piermarini who modified the previous project by Vanvitelli.
The church has a single central nave over which stands the beautiful Bernini-style canopy or ciborium, a faithful copy the most famous one in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Below the walkway you can visit the crypt, which is the oldest part of the church with capitals and architectural remains dating back to pre-Romanesque periods.
Among the works of art kept here, the most noteworthy are a 19th century statue and the chapel of the Sacrament, built in 1527 by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger.