The Cathedral of San Lorenzo or Duomo of Viterbo, about 80 km from Rome, stands in the historic centre and is the most important religious building in the capital of Tuscia.
The building became even more important in the mid-13th century with the arrival of the popes who resided in the well-known Palazzo Papale built nearby.
In 1192, the church was transformed into the Romanesque building that we can still admire today, on the site of an ancient parish church. The bell tower, on the other hand, was built towards the end of the 1300s and is typical of the Tuscan Gothic style.
On entering the church, we are immediately enchanted by the whole of it. In the central aisle is a wonderful floor made by the Cosmati, or marble craftsmen, in the right aisle is the 15th century baptismal font, the Chapels of Santa Caterina and Saints Valentino and Ilario and some 17th century paintings by Giovan Francesco Romanelli. In the Cappellone, or large chapel, which opens behind the presbytery, is the vault frescoed by Giuseppe Passeri in the 17th-century with the Last Judgment and the Cardinal Virtues and another canvas by Romanelli with St. Lawrence in glory. In the left aisle is the funerary monument of John XXI and the tombstones of Alexander IV and Clement IV. We must not forget the reproduction of the Madonna della Carbonara, whose original is conserved at the Colle del Duomo Museum. At the end of the nave is the panel of Christ Blessing between St. John the Evangelist, St. Leonard, St. Benedict and St. John the Baptist.
There is never-ending emotion in Viterbo and its surroundings!