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Vetralla Cathedral: peperino stone, a hidden dome, and a statue that is unveiled every 25 years
The Duomo di Sant'Andrea (Cathedral of St Andrew) overlooks Piazza Umberto I, and directly faces the Town Hall. Its construction was long and complex: work began in 1711 based on a design by Giovanni Battista Contini, involving the demolition of the old church of St Andrew, and continued for decades, through various interruptions and resumptions. The façade, completed later by Giacomo Tedeschi, is made of peperino, the grey volcanic stone typical of the area.
The building
The interior features a single nave with three chapels on each side, which are barrel-vaulted and interconnected. The dome (cupola) is concealed by an octagonal structure (tiburio), culminating in a circular lantern, which is not visible from the outside. The peperino façade is divided into two superimposed orders: Tuscan and Ionic, separated by a frieze. The central portal features a triangular tympanum, while the side ones have curvilinear (or segmental) tympana.
The statue that makes an appearance once every 25 years.
The original brick floors are the work of Carlo Antonio Tedeschi. The organ is of German design, built in 1927. In the transept, there is a wooden statue of the Immaculate Conception (Santissima Concezione) which is carried in procession just once every 25 years.
