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Cathedral of St Pancras in Albano Laziale: A Baroque Cathedral Built above Roman Baths
The Cathedral of San Pancrazio is located in the centre of Albano Laziale, in Piazza San Paolo. The present cathedral dates from the 17th century. It was rebuilt between 1720 and 1740 based on a design by architect Carlo Buratti. The building stands on the ruins of the Roman baths of Domitian's Villa, remains of which are visible in the subsoil and crypt. The earlier church dated back to the 5th century, built by early Christians within the abandoned halls of the imperial baths.
Baroque Architecture
The façade has two orders, with Doric columns on the lower level and Composite columns on the upper, plus a triangular pediment and a travertine portal. The interior has three naves with side chapels, a barrel vault decorated with stuccoes and 18th-century frescoes. The high altar houses the relics of San Pancrazio (Saint Pancras), a 4th-century Roman martyr venerated as patron saint of Albano. The presbytery preserves a Baroque ciborium in polychrome marble and a still-functioning organ from 1750.
The Crypt and the Roman Baths
Below the presbytery is an early Christian crypt from the 5th century, created out of a hall of the baths. The reused Roman columns have original Corinthian capitals. On the walls are medieval frescoes depicting scenes of saints. From the crypt one can access the remains of the baths: mosaic floors, walls in opus latericium, niches for statues. This is one of the rare cases where a Christian place of worship is built directly over Roman bath structures.
