Anagni Cathedral stands as a testament to the rich Italian history and culture. This architectural marvel, also known as the Cathedral of Santa Maria Annunziata, is a place of worship but also a repository of centuries-old art, history, and tradition. It beckons travelers and history aficionados alike to delve into its sacred halls and unravel the stories etched in its venerable walls.
The Anagni Cathedral
The imposing structure of Anagni Cathedral epitomizes the brilliance of medieval architecture. This is the main place of worship in Anagni, a town near Frosinone in the Lazio region. Inside, one can find marvelous attractions such as the Crypt of Saint Magnus.
The History of Anagni Cathedral
In the oldest part of the town, called Castello district, stands the majestic Anagni Cathedral, dedicated to Holy Mary Annunziata. People also refer to Anagni as the “City of the Popes.” In fact, four popes were born here. They were Pope Innocent III, Alexander IV, Gregory IX, and Boniface VIII. Moreover, numerous popes either resided here or chose to spend their summer holidays here. The historical episode of the “The Anagni Slap” with Pope Boniface VIII took place in this town in Lazio.
A splendid example of medieval art, the Cathedral of Anagni dates back to the years between 1072 and 1104. Bishop Peter of Salerno wanted to build it on a pre-existing Christian temple. According to the hagiographic text “Vita san Petri” (the main source for reconstructing the biography of the bishop of Salerno), Michael VII Dukes of Parapinace, Emperor of the East (1071-1078), financed the construction work. During that period, he arranged the marriage between his son Constantine and Olimpiade, daughter of the Norman duke Robert Guiscard.
According to legend, Bishop Peter of Salerno served as a papal representative in Constantinople. In a dream, the Virgin Mary foretold that he would heal the Byzantine Emperor from a sudden illness through the intercession of Saint Magnus. And so it happened. In return for the miracle he had received, the emperor decided to fund the construction of Anagni Cathedral.
Significant Events in Anagni Cathedral
- In 1161, Pope Alexander III received representatives of Henry, King of England, who came for the canonization of Saint Edward. Alexander III, on January 17, 1174, canonized Saint Bernard, abbot of Clairvaux, and on the following April 27, Richard, Archbishop of Canterbury, successor of Saint Thomas Becket.
- Two years later, on May 29, news of the Lombard League’s victory over Frederick Barbarossa at Legnano arrived. Pope Alexander III welcomed the representatives of Frederick Vignaro, Archbishop of Magdebourg, Bishop Conrad of Worms, Archbishop Christian of Mainz, and Arduino, the imperial protonotary, with whom he signed the famous Pactum Anagninum.
- Bishop Pandolfo promoted an interior restoration of the cathedral during the year 1250. The works replaced the wooden trusses with a Gothic arch, transforming the interior into the Lombard Gothic style, while the exterior retained the Romanesque style.
- On August 8, 1254, Pope Innocent IV announced in the cathedral that April 29 of each year would be dedicated to celebrating the martyrdom of Saint Peter of Salerno, founder of Anagni Cathedral.
- On October 6, 1256, on the occasion of the condemnation of the text against the mendicant orders by William of Saint Amour, Anagni Cathedral hosted Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Albert the Great, Saint Bonaventure, and Brother Bertrand of Bayonne.
Pope Boniface VIII
Cardinal Benedetto Caetani became Pope Boniface VIII on December 24, 1294. He bestowed precious gifts on the cathedral. In the rooms adjoining the worship building, the episode known as the “Anagni Slap” took place on September 7, 1303.
Pope Boniface VIII likely endured a series of humiliations before the French took him prisoner. The pope intended to excommunicate the King of France, Philip IV.
Anagni Cathedral: Description
Anagni Cathedral features a Romanesque-style facade and bell tower, clad in tufa stone. The bell tower is 30 meters high and features a succession of single, double, and triple windows. The facade is characterized by a 14th-century fresco of the Madonna enthroned between Saint Catherine of the Wheel and Saint Anthony the Abbot, located near the left entrance. The west part of the cathedral is truly scenic, thanks to the presence of the Blessings Loggia, the exterior of the Caetani Chapel, and the staircase behind the apses.
The Interiors
The interiors present a mix of Romanesque style, represented by the columns and pillars that delimit the three naves, and Gothic style, evident in the pointed arches and ribbed vaulted ceilings. Works carried out in the 1930s and 1940s restored the fake ashlar that characterizes the walls to its original form. Cosma di Jacopo di Lorenzo, who also worked on the floor of the Crypt of San Magno, created the Cosmatesque floor between 1224 and 1227, making it particularly valuable. The floor features polychrome mosaics in perfect condition and virtually unchanged, despite the numerous renovations that have taken place in the church over the centuries.
On the central entrance, we can admire a lunette from the end of the 13th century that represents the Madonna with Child, between Saint Magnus and Saint Secondina. The altar, the ciborium, and the paschal candlestick gave the presbytery its current appearance during the first half of the 13th century.
The Apses
The left apse features the figures of the disciples of Emmaus and adoring angels. The right apse depicts the marriage between Saint Joseph and the Virgin, as well as the Transit of Saint Joseph. Three works by Vassalletto, including the episcopal chair with two side lions, characterize the central apse.
The other two works are the splendid twisted mosaic column supporting the paschal candle and the ciborium of the altar. The baptistery and the richly decorated Lauri, Caetani, and Raoli chapels, collectively known as the Chapel of Saint Charles, complete the Anagni Cathedral.
What to See in Anagni Cathedral
The main attractions of Anagni Cathedral
Crypt of Saint Magnus
The Crypt of Saint Magnus dates back to the years between 1072 and 1104. Its purpose was to safely preserve the relics of the saints owned by the Cathedral of Santa Maria Annunziata. The crypt consists of three naves and three apses, delimited by twelve columns forming twenty-one vaults.
The walls feature a cycle of paintings of exceptional beauty to depict the history of the Salvation of Man, from his creation to the end of time. The frescoes are believed to have been created between the 12th and 13th centuries. The pictorial cycles and the Cosmatesque floor have earned the Crypt of Saint Magnus the title of “Sistine Chapel of the Middle Ages.”
The frescoes of the Crypt of Saint Magnus
Vaults 1 and 2 illustrate the Creation of the Cosmos. Vault 1 represents the Firmament with the zodiac signs, while Vault 2 is undoubtedly the most famous, representing the rare philosophical-scientific scene of Creation of man. The small column that delimits vault 2 bears the Diagram of the Theory of Elements, taken from Plato’s Timaeus, with the four elements in the left spheres associated with some physical characteristics in the right spheres. The lunette depicts the doctors Hippocrates and Galen discussing this theory. Vault 3 dedicates itself to the four tetramorphs, or four-formed beings, mentioned in Ezekiel’s vision. They could allude to Creation or to the soul of man.
Four angels support a disk with a gemmed cross in vault 4. The plaque placed below the Christ Pantocrator is evidence of the discovery of Saint Magnus’s relics during the creation of the magnificent Cosmatesque floor of the Crypt, completed in 1231. Reclaimed marbles, such as green serpentine, red porphyry, and white marble, form this splendid floor. Vaults 5, 6, 9, and up to 14 narrate the Old Testament stories of the Hebrew people fighting the Philistines, up to the election of their first king, Saul. The First Book of Samuel contains these stories. The representation continues in the panel under vault 10.
From the 15th to the 21st fresco
Vaults 15 and 16 house the altar of Saint Secondina and depictions of the Armenian princesses Aurelia and Noemisia, who lived in the 9th century and died near Anagni. The central area of the apse illustrates the story of Secondina, converted to Christianity by Saint Magnus. The symbols of the four Evangelists surround Christ’s blessing in the upper left vault (15). In the right vault (16), the Etimasia, a symbol of preparation for the heavenly throne, is located.
The apse dome and the three adjacent vaults (17, 18, and 19) illustrate the Apocalypse of John. Saint Magnus, bishop of Trani and evangelizer of Anagni in the 3rd century, gives his name to the altar of the Crypt. On vault 20 is the prophet Elijah ascending to heaven on a chariot of fire. On vault 21, one can admire the meeting between Abraham and Melchizedek with the offering of bread and wine.
Oratory of Saint Thomas Becket
The oldest part of Anagni Cathedral is the Oratory of Saint Thomas Becket, located next to the Crypt of Saint Magnus. It is a mithraeum from the 1st–2nd century AD. It preserves the ancient altar on which the sacrifices of bulls took place. The channel that allowed the blood to flow outside the environment is still intact. Thomas Becket gives his name to the oratory. The illustrious English archbishop died in 1170. Pope Alexander III canonized him on February 21, 1173, in the church of Santa Lucia in Segni.
The walls display valuable frescoes, including a composition with the Mystic Lamb among angels and symbols of the Evangelists. There are also an Ascension of Christ with angels, a series of apostles, panels on the life and martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket, stories from Genesis, five episodes of the New Testament, and Templar figures.
The Treasury of the Cathedral
Anagni Cathedral guards precious treasures: gold, ivory, enamels, reliquaries such as the precious casket of Saint Thomas Becket, textiles such as the famous chasuble of Boniface VIII, and illuminated antiphonaries on parchment with gold miniatures.
Adjacent to the Treasury room is the medieval Chapel of the Savior with 12th–13th century frescoes and wooden works such as a 12th-century episcopal chair, one of the oldest in Europe. On the first floor, there is also the Lapidary, the ancient cloister, which houses Roman, early Christian, medieval, and modern tombstones and a permanent archaeological exhibition.
Visiting Anagni Cathedral
The entrance ticket to the Museum of Anagni Cathedral (MuCA) includes a visit to the museum through a route that starts at the ticket office and ends at the lapidary. The museum is open every day, from November to March, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. From April to October, the hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. For tickets and other information about the visit, consult the MuCA website.
The exhibition path
Currently, the Anagni Cathedral’s exhibition path features the following attractions:
The Library
The chapter library guards a rich collection of 1814 volumes, dating from the 15th to the 20th century. Among the most important pieces are the incunabula and a precious 1518 copy of the Corpus Iuris Civilis. This is a collection of legal material of the emperor Justinian I (527-565). In fact, he wanted to organize the legal corpus of the Roman Empire.
Chapter Hall
The Chapter Hall, the assembly room of the canons of the worship building, dates back to the 19th century. Frescoes depicting plant motifs and winged cherubs decorate the ceiling. The furniture is made from empire-style walnut and mahogany.
New Sacristy
The New Sacristy, or New Treasury, is a small room containing objects from the 15th to the 20th century. Among them are liturgical vestments, chalices, pyxes, patens, croziers, and miters. Particularly fascinating are the two green glass ampoules. Pope Paul V Borghese’s precious items and the True Cross reliquary are also noteworthy.
Sacristies
The Sacristies date back to the 19th century. They show walnut cabinets, handcrafted from Lazio and dating back to the end of the 19th century. The Sacristies and all the furniture are currently used for normal liturgical functions. The first sacristy contains silver laminate bust-reliquaries of Saint Peter the Bishop and Saint Magnus, both dating back to the mid-16th century.
Old Treasury
Pope Boniface VIII made the donation that makes up the ancient Treasure. The Cathedral Archives include a precious manuscript that attests to this. It consists of over a hundred objects, of which only a part has survived. One of the display cases contains the reliquary casket of Thomas Becket in Limoges enamel.
Chapel of the Savior
The Chapel of the Savior presents a decorative complex of three successive phases. It includes the fresco of Christ enthroned with the saints Magnus and Secondina on his sides, the episcopal chair of the 13th century.
Additionally, there is the late 15th-century wooden crucifix, the statue of Saint Anthony the Abbot, the icon of the Virgin and Rainaldo the Presbyter, and the 1316 icon of the Madonna with Child.
Caetani Chapel
Completed in 1296 by the will of Pope Boniface VIII, the Caetani Chapel contains the Caetani tomb. It consists of a ciborium with two columns and a gabled cover decorated in the Gothic architectural style.
Ambulatory
It is the space that connects the Oratory of St. Thomas Becket and the Crypt of Saint Magnus. In ancient times, the tombs of illustrious people of Anagni were located there. The walls still display votive panels, two of which date back to the mid-13th century. The visit then continues to the Oratory of Thomas Becket and the Crypt of Saint Magnus.
Lapidary and Archaeological Collection
The lapidary, corresponding to the rooms of the ancient cloister, houses Roman, early Christian, medieval, and modern tombstones. Of particular interest are some components of the liturgical furnishings belonging to the 9th-century Carolingian Cathedral.
In this guide, you can discover other attractions to see in Anagni.
Anagni Cathedral Gallery
Anagni video
Map Anagni Cathedral
Anagni weather
Meteo Anagni
Tourist information offices in Anagni
Pro Loco Anagni APS in Piazza Innocenzo III, 25. Open every day from 10:30 to 13:00. Contacts: 0775 727852, prolocoanagni@gmail.com
