Trieste Cathedral

The San Giusto Cathedral, Trieste is the cathedral church of the bishop of Trieste with the rank of Minor Basilica. Dedicated to the patron saint of the city, the Saints Justus, is dominated by the Cathedral, one of the landmarks of the city of Trieste on the Capitoline Hill. The present Romanesque building dates back to the 14th century. In it, remnants of pagan, Christian and secular buildings are included, which followed at this point since Roman times to each other.

• 2.1 facade
• 2.2 Campanile ( bell tower )

History

Prehistory

On the floor of the present cathedral were already in Roman times a propylon, a Roman basilica and probably a Capitoline temple.

The propylon is the oldest building and was built around 80 AD. Its construction was probably initiated by Publius Clodius Palpellius Quirinalis, who began his career as a centurion of the Legio XX Valeria Victrix and finished as prefect of the fleet of Ravenna under Nero. The 17.20 meters long and 5.30 meters wide propylon was at the end of the main road that led from the sea to the hill of San Giusto and corresponds roughly to the present Via della Cattedrale. Remains of the propylon are visible under the front of the cathedral, built in the Campanile of today's worship or display in the nearby lapidary.

The propylon probably served as a porch or gateway to an underlying Capitoline temple. The temple was dedicated to the three main Roman gods Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, as an altar discovered pyramid confirmed. However, nothing else is of the temple except the altar pyramid survived or survived. Its exact position is thus unclear.

The left of the propylon are the pillars and remains of the Roman basilica. Fragments of various inscriptions suggest that the building was built on causing Quintus Baienus Blassianus, who lived in the 2nd century AD, and among other things, prefect of Egypt was under Marcus Aurelius. The 75 meters long, 23 meters wide and 20 meters high building was the seat of the municipal council ( decuriones ) and served as a place for public meetings as well as the court and commerce.

After the majority of the Capitoline temple and propylon had fallen, was built in the 5th century at the same location a primitive, early Christian basilica, whose mosaic is fragmentary condition in the soil of the present cathedral. The 6th century extended under the bishop of Trieste Frugiferus building was replaced in the 11th century by a much smaller St. Mary's Church. In the same period, a small, rectangular Memorial Chapel was built in parallel with dome on the south side. She was dedicated to the worship of local martyrs, especially the relics of Saint Justus.

Architectural History

In the 14th century, both buildings probably at the instigation of Bishop Rodolfo di Trieste Pedrazzano ( 1302-1320 ) were combined into a single, five-aisled church, as it exists today. To do this, then ripped from the two aisles adjacent. The resulting in their place large, new nave was covered by a ceiling in the shape of a ship's keel and a new apse. Then there was a new, simple sandstone façade, adorned with a rose window made ​​of white marble karst.

Between 1337 and 1343 the bell tower was built around a pre-existing Romanesque bell tower.

Links from the bell tower is erected in 1380 and dedicated to John the Baptist Baptistery of hexagonal baptismal font dating from the 9th century. Law of the cathedral is the church " San Michele al Carnale " which served for a long time as a chapel of the cemetery, which was located where is the lapidary of the city today.

After the completion of the building complex was the dedication of the house of God on November 27, 1385 by Bishop Henry of Wildenstein.

Architecture

Facade

The asymmetric, concluding with a triangular gable facade of sandstone from the neighboring Muggia is dominated by a large, Gothic rose window made ​​of white marble karst. The rose window was created in the late 14th century, when the two churches were united. Was restored the window in 1932 by the Italian architect and conservationist Ferdinando Forlati.

For the 3.30 -meter-high goal posts of the central portal, a Roman tomb with the portraits of six members of the Barbi family from the 1st century AD was sawn into two halves, with the portrait of freed slave Tullia by enclosing a halo and the Trieste halberd was changed to that of the saints Sergios. Sergios is revered as one of the most important martyrs of the city. The old portal wings were made of wood in 1990 and replaced in 1992 by new bronze.

To the left above the main portal, a niche in which originally a wooden statue of St. John the Baptist was erected, which is now housed in the Castello di San Giusto. Next to it is a relief with the insignia and coats of arms of Silvia Enea Piccolomini, who was from 1447 to 1450 Bishop of Trieste and later Pope Pius II. Under the bas-relief an inscription is mounted in Latin hexameters, which celebrates the humanistic pontiff, the Trieste supported during the siege by the Republic of Venice in 1463 and saved from destruction.

On a ledge above the main entrance is a bronze bust of Pope Pius II is attached, directly followed by the busts of two other bishops Trieste: the humanist Andrea Rapicio (1567-1573) and Rinaldo Scarlicchio (1622-1630), of the relics of St. Justus discovered how to read the Latin inscription under his coat of arms next to the main portal (1630 ). The three bronze busts are the work of Alberto Brestyanszky (1862 ).

Another inscription commemorates the attack of the Austrians and the English against the soldiers of Napoleon, who had entrenched themselves in 1813 in a neighboring castle and the church tower.

Campanile ( bell tower )

Between 1337 and 1343 the bell tower was built around a pre-existing Romanesque church tower, which in turn was placed on the foundations of the Roman Propyläums. The foundations of the Romanesque building was excavated in 1816 by Pietro Nobile and is now visible under the arches of the ground floor. In addition, the columns of the Romanesque building as well as a gripping illustration in the stairwell to the belfry can be seen.

The respect for antiquity is also reflected in the Roman cornice, that came from the neighboring Roman propylaeum and was integrated into the exterior facade of the campanille. Above the cornice beneath a pointed arch shrine a statue of Saint Justus of the 14th century. The patron saint of Trieste is dressed in a highly folded tunic and holding a model of the city and a palm branch in his hands, the sign of martyrdom. The conclusion of the church tower form the single lancet windows of the belfry. The oldest bell is of 1497th Another bell is popularly known Campanon and was cast in 1829. The other two bells date from 1953 and are decorated with reliefs by Carlo Sbisa. On the gable of the church tower itself was originally a coarse ribbed essay called the Trieste melon because of its shape and made ​​it one of the landmarks of their city. On the 1.13 -meter-high stone sculpture is the iron halberd of the Holy Sergios, also a symbol of the city. When a lightning strike in 1421 the roof was destroyed and the melon away. The following year, she was placed on a column, which was built right on the square in front of the cathedral. End of the 19th century, the melon was eventually housed in the San Giusto castle.

Equipment

The organ on the large gallery was built in 1922 by the organ builder Mascioni and revised in the 1970s. The instrument has registers on three manuals and pedal. The play and Registertrakturen today are electric ( formerly: electropneumatic).

Grave laying

Namely Carlos (v. ), Carlos (VI ) and Carlos ( VII ) and Juan ( III.) - - In a side chapel to the right of the nave the graves of four pretenders to the Spanish throne carli matic can be found, which spent their exile in Trieste. San Giusto is therefore sometimes referred to as " Carlin- matic Escorial ". (See Carlism. ) Also buried the two wives of the Carlos V., Maria Francisca of Portugal and Maria Theresa of Portugal, are here.

The 1768 murdered in Trieste German archaeologist and founder of scientific archeology Johann Joachim Winckelmann was also buried in the cathedral.