Transromanica Romanesque intheProvince Art of Rocca SantaMaria,Renno, Trebbio andRubbiano). liturgical equipmentdatableto between the Romanesque age andthe19 On thefi rst fl oor, theCathedral Museumfeatures works andprecious ofart depicting monstrous andfantastical beings. gelmo andtheCampioneMasters, andtheso-called‘Metope’: elegant reliefs Lombard Ages, inscriptionsfrom various eras, examples of sculpture by Wili- from theCathedral. There are alsolapidary elementsfrom theRoman and The LapidaryMuseum,ontheground fl oor, contains sculptural fragments ked to thehistory oftheCathedral. The Cathedral Museumsare madeupoftwo separate collections closelylin- Cathedral Museums Holy Virgin MaryintheCastle,known as‘laSagra’ (mid8 with asimplertaste. Suchbuildingsmay befound inCarpi(theChurch ofthe may befound inmany buildings around theprovince, reinterpreted often ted model:echoesofitsarchitectural structure anddecorative framework Throughout theModeneseterritory, theCathedral served asamuchimita- www.duomodimodena.it/musei/musei.html e-mail: [email protected] Via Lanfranco 6-41121 -Tel. /Fax +39059 4396969 Ticket price: €3adults,€2 concessions, €1.50schoolparties Opening hours: from Tuesday to Sunday, -6.30pm and3.30pm 9.30am -12.30pm and ivory, ancient reliquaries, including a Byzantine staurotheque from the 11 century goldsmithery; theEvangeliary from the same period bound in silver century aswell as16 altarknownthe portable asthat‘of StGeminianus’,arare example of11 century, andalsoincludesthetreasures oftheCathedral. note: Ofparticular 12 thedral: theroom features rare illuminated manuscriptsaswell astheRelatio , a Archives displaying the most ancient documentation on the history oftheCa- of Flemish origins.Oneroom isgiven over to therichheritage oftheChapter Nonantola (Abbey ofStSylvester, 753 –endof11 (Basilica ofStCaesarius,12 planned, visitthewebsite www.transromanica.com For information further onthemonuments,travel tips,tour oers andevents taking landscapes. as well as numerous other cultural events, against the backdrop of breath- Each territory oers its own cultural treasures, its own culinary specialities tage” received thestatusofMajorCultural Route by theCouncil ofEurope. In 2007, “TRANSROMANICA –The Romanesque Routes ofEuropean Heri- value, whichallawait discovery by visitors throughout thevarious regions. than 300other–prevalently sacred –sites, lesser known yet ofgreat artistic been recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage sites, not to mention more of some25grand Romanesque monuments,many ofwhichhave already Travelling alongtheTRANSROMANICA route meansfollowing anitinerary are allamongthedestinationsofthisjourney. town ofAlbaIuliainRomania andtheFrench commune ofParay-le-Monial Silos inSpain;theTâmega andSousaregions ofPortugal, butalsoSerbia,the Wörth inAustria; Modena,Pavia andAlbugnanoinItaly;Santo Domingo de state ofSaxony-Anhalt inGermany; thecitiesofGurk,Friesach andMaria period, anarchitectural style fi rst establishedaround theyear 1000. The working to promote theirown monumentalheritage from theRomanesque TRANSROMANICA bringstogether partnersofeightEuropean countries, all th -century text documentingtheconstruction process of the Cathedral itself. th century tapestriesdepictingstories from theGenesis, th century) andintheApennines(theChurches th century), inSanCesario th –12 th century), in th /12 th th th -

The ModenaUNESCO Site The ModenaUNESCO Site Buer zone Zone 2 ‘Ghirlandina’ Tower andPiazza Grande Heritage Site: Cathedral, Civic Zone 1 medieval Christiantown. complex where religious and civicvalues are combined ina century andisoneof thebestexamples ofanarchitectural exceptional witness to thecultural traditions ofthe12th created inRomanesque The art. Modenacomplex bears tical relationship between architecture and sculpture was sterpiece ofhumancreative genius inwhichanew dialec- The joint creation of Lanfranco and Wiligelmo is a ma- Buer zone Zone 2 ‘Ghirlandina’ Tower andPiazza Grande Heritage Site: Cathedral, Civic Zone 1 Declaration ofvalue, 1997 8 7 Bank–ExPalazzo ofJustice 6 5 Town HallPalazzo 4 3 Civic ‘Ghirlandina’Tower 2 1

Piazza Torre Rectories –Cathedral Museums Palazzo oftheArchbishop Piazza Grande Cathedral

8 7 Bank–ExPalazzo ofJustice 6 5 Town HallPalazzo 4 3 Civic ‘Ghirlandina’Tower 2 1 Piazza Torre Rectories –Cathedral Museums Palazzo oftheArchbishop Piazza Grande Cathedral

avenida.it 3 Piazza Grande Civic Tower Modena, Cathedral 1 2 World Heritage Cathedral Civic Tower Piazza (Duomo) (Ghirlandina) Grande

Founded on 9th June 1099, Modena Cathedral is a wonderful example The2 name of the tower, generally known as the Ghirlandina, might The Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square), founded in the 12th century, 1of Romanesque art, which aroused great admiration at the time of its derive from the two balconies similar to garlands surrounding the 3became known as Piazza Grande from the second half of the 17th cen- construction and which continues to this day to delight onlookers by cusp. Likely to have been founded at the same time as the Cathedral, tury. It has always been the heart of Modena, splendidly framed by the virtue of its extraordinary beauty and originality. between the end of the 11th and the start of the 12th century, the Ghir- Cathedral, by the Ghirlandina Tower, and by the lofty colonnade of the Planning of the Cathedral was entrusted to Lanfranco, worthy artist landina was completed by the Campionesi with the construction of Town Council Palazzo, historical symbols of the political and religious and marvellous constructor, who ushered in a new and daring approach the cusp, fi nished by Enrico from Campione in 1319. institutions of the city. to architecture which had a profound infl uence on the Romanesque Like the Cathedral, the structure of the tower is covered in slabs of The strong civil vocation of the square is testifi ed to this day by the pre- art that succeeded him. The brick structure coated with recycled ce- stone, of which the lower section is recycled cemetery material. Built sence of the Pietra Ringadora (Speakers’ Stone), a huge block of stone used metery stonework from the underlying Roman town of Mutina, was partly on the cobbles of the ancient Roman via Emilia, it leans visibly in the age of the communes as an orators’ stage from which they would embellished by Wiligelmo’s sculpture with an extraordinary sense of towards the Cathedral with a slight twist along the south-west pillar; ‘harangue’ the crowds, and as a stone of shame for insolvent debtors. harmony. He and other skilled sculptors of the early 12th century were today these movements are subjected to constant monitoring. The square was also the place where justice was administered, and for responsible for the splendid decoration abounding with plant motifs, The tower has always served a double role, both civil and religious. At centuries it was home to the market and other forms of trade. On the apse animals, both human and fantastical beings on every capital along various times, the Chamber of the Bucket and the current entrance hall wall of the Cathedral, the ancient measurements that merchants were the loggia and the semi-columns, and every corbel of the supporting have housed the Town Council Archive and that of the Chapter, along obliged to conform to for sales purposes are still visible to this day: the per- arches; the slabs depicting the Genesis on the façade; the main door with the silverware and the sacred relics of the Cathedral. The room also tica (‘pole’), the coppo (‘tile’), the mattone (‘brick’) and the braccio (‘arm’). on the façade; the ‘Fish-Market Gate’ on the northern side, and that housed the bucket stolen in 1325 from the Bolognese during the Battle of In order to guarantee correctness in trading, as far back as the Middle Ages of the Princes on the southern side. Zappolino, of which the original is now on display in the Town Hall. there was an ‘O ce of Fair Trading’, the symbol of which was the statue of Works by the Masters of Campione, who were active in Modena from the In the Chamber of the ‘Torresani’, sited some 45 metres from ground a female fi gure in draping robes, known by the Modenese as the Bonissima, end of the 12th century until the start of the 14th, include the great Royal level and partially transformed into a balcony at the end of the 16th and today positioned on the corner of the Town Council Palazzo. Door facing onto Piazza Grande, the rose window and the false transept. century, lived the tower keepers, who watched over the city, giving The municipal headquarters are the result of the aggregation of nu- The Cathedral is also home to a great choir screen depicting scenes the signal for the opening and closing of the city gates and ringing the merous buildings built between the 11th and the 17th century. A num- of the Passion from the second half of the 12th century and other im- bells. The Chamber also features two interesting sculpted capitals: ber of historical chambers may be visited, including the Sala del Fuoco portant works, especially from the 15th and 16th centuries: the ‘Altar of the Capital of David and the Capital of the Judges. (‘Chamber of the Hearth’) which houses a major pictorial cycle inspi- the Statuettes’ by Michael of (1440 – 1441), the inlaid choir red by Roman history and painted by Nicolò dell’Abate in 1547, and the stalls by Lendinara (1461 – 1465), the Bellincini Chapel (c. 1475), the Open: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 1st April until 31st October Sala di Rappresentanza (‘Chamber of Representation’) featuring various Altarpiece of St Sebastian by Dosso Dossi (1518 – 1521), the ‘Madon- Special openings: 31st January (Feast of St , Patron Saint of paintings by Adeodato Malatesta (1806 – 1891). na of the Pap’ by (c. 1480 – 1485) and the ‘Crib’ by Modena) and for other special events Tourist Information Antonio Begarelli (1527). Opening hours: 9.30am - 12.30pm and 3pm – 7pm (last entry 12pm IAT, Piazza Grande | 41121 Modena midday, and 6.15pm) Tel. +39 059 203 26 60 | Fax +39 059 203 26 59 Open: every day Closed: from 1st November to 31st March, August and Easter Sunday e-mail: [email protected] Opening hours: 7am – 12.30pm and 3.30pm – 7pm Tickets: €2 turismo.comune.modena.it Visits are not allowed during celebrations or on Sunday mornings. Combined ticket (Ghirlandina Tower and Historical Chambers of the Opening hours: Mondays, 2.30pm–6pm; from Tuesdays to Saturdays, www.duomodimodena.it Town Hall): €3 9am–1.30pm and 2.30pm–6pm; Sundays and public holidays, www.unesco.modena.it 9.30am–1.30pm and 2.30pm-6pm.