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The Cathedral of Fara
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The Cathedral of Fara in Sabina: the Collegiate Church and the leather crucifix
The Collegiate Church of St Antoninus Martyr, commonly known as the Duomo (Cathedral), has stood in the heart of Fara in Sabina since 1506. It is one of the most richly decorated churches in the Sabina Rieti region. Featuring a nave and two aisles (three-aisled ground plan) and eleven side chapels, there is an object that leaves a lasting impression: in the first chapel on the right, there is an Eastern-made crucifix, dated between the 16th and 17th centuries, which according to local tradition is covered in human skin.
A church built upon a church
The collegiate church did not emerge from a void. Beneath the current structure lay a 14th-century "underground" church, which the builders incorporated into the new edifice. Construction lasted five years, from 1501 to 1506, to provide a seat for the cathedral chapter (college of canons). The portal (main doorway) displays the coat of arms of Fara alongside the roses of the Orsini family, the feudal lords of the period.
What to see inside
The interior displays a stratified history. The vault features a fresco depicting St. Antoninus. Within the chapels, one can find a canvas by Vincenzo Manenti, a 17th-century painter from Sabina, and a crucifix attributed to the school of Guido Reni. The centerpiece hoswever is the Renaissance tabernacle (ciborium) made of Volterra alabaster, shaped like a small two-story temple (tempietto). Finally, there is the 18th-century wooden statue of St. Antoninus, featuring a face and hands crafted from silver.
