Modena - Cathedral

The main traffic artery of Modena is the Via Emilia, on the line of the old Roman road. Just off the south side of this street, in the central Piazza Grande, stands the imposing Cathedral, a basilica begun in 1099 in Romanesque style, consecrated in 1184 and completed in the 13th century, with beautiful sculpture on the exterior walls and in the interior. On the side facing the Corso Duomo can be seen a magnificent rose window (13th century), marble lions supporting the porticus, and four reliefs at the side of the main door and above the side doors. They number among the earliest Romanesque sculptures in Italy and represent phases in the history of mankind. The interior is notable for some good pictures and for sculptures of the Passion (13th century) on the choir screen and the pulpit. In the crypt, its roof supported by 30 slender columns, is a realistic group representing the "Adoration of the Infant Christ" by Guido Mazzoni (after 1480).