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Church of St Mary of the Assumption in Nepi: the Cathedral above the ancient Roman forum of Tuscia
The Cathedral of Nepi, dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta (St Mary of the Assumption), stands where the Roman forum once was. The first cathedral probably dates back to the 5th century, when sources mention a bishop from Nepi. What can be seen today is the result of renovations that continued right up to the 19th century. The most ancient part is the 12th century Romanesque crypt: nine naves and twenty-four columns with different capitals, decorated with plant motifs, as well as human and monstrous figures.
A church that changed shape over the centuries
Construction began in the mid-12th century, but the church was only consecrated in 1266. Between 1608 and 1647, the ceiling of the central nave and the portico were rebuilt. After 1680, the choir was raised, and a fourth nave added, followed by a fifth in 1752. In 1798, French troops set fire to part of the city, and the Cathedral lost all its wooden structures. The reconstruction, commissioned by Bishop Anselmo Basilici, lasted from 1818 to 1840.
Ferrata, Romano, il Pastura, Mattia Preti: the Cathedral’s artworks
The high altar bears the signature of Ercole Ferrata, a pupil of Bernini: a 1680 sculpture depicting St Romanus and St Savinilla covering the former with a burial veil. In the presbytery hangs the triptych of the Holy Saviour, attributed by local tradition to Giulio Romano. The sacristy contains panel paintings by Antonio del Massaro, known as il Pastura, as well as four portraits of apostles by Mattia Preti.
