Andrea Vici, Roman architect and Vanvitelli’s disciple, has designed the cathedral, which is dedicated to Saint Annunziata. It has a Greek-cross shaped nave and two aisles, with stuccoes and Corinthian pillars and columns. The right aisle features a picture of “Madonna Del Rosario” with the Mysteries all around. The tables that represent the Mysteries date back to the XX century and their author is unknown. Beneath the altar, the Saint Virgin and Martyr Justine’s relics are preserved. In the right aisle, there is also the chapel of “Madonna Della Misericordia” and under its altar there are Saint Martyr Ursula’s relics, consisting of blood and bones. Nearby the altar, you can admire Pope Pious VII’s bust by the artist Bologna. The altar of the “Sacro Cuore”, previously dedicated to Saint Anne, the Madonna’s mother, contains Saint Matrona Virgin and Martyr’s relics, coming from Saint Callisto’s cemetery. At the end of the right aisle, there is a sacristy. Over its door, there is a Latin Christian inscription from the Roman catacombs: "Matron filiae suae Matronae". The sacristy preserves: a lunette of the Deposition by Giacomo from Recanati, where the Madonna appears to the Blessed Corrado from Offida in the convent of Forano. On the left of the sacristy entrance, there is a mosaic of the “Madonna Del Fuoco”, patroness of Forlì. Through the sacristy, you reach the apsidal hemicycle of the choir and the chapel of the “Preziosissimo Sangue”, where the simulacrum of the Dead Christ lays. Every Good Friday since 1884 it is shown during the rite of Christ’s Passion, Death and Deposition. On the right side of the chapel entrance, there are the “Madonna Della Colonna”, which gives name to the chapel and the statues of San Pietro e Paolo that flank the monument dedicated to Cardinal Grimaldi. Continuing, on the right there is the XVI altar of the Sacramento, whose altar piece portrays "Assunzione in cielo di Maria e Santi", and the statues of the Evangelists by Pietro Martini from Corridonia. Before leaving the church, the last chapel is dedicated to Saint Rocco, but today his picture and statue are hosted in another place in order to make rooms for a statue of Saint Patrick, Treia’s patron.

 

"Il Duomo non aveva facciata, ma solo quell'entrata principale di fronte all'altar maggiore, perché era unità, conversione a un centro, distanze uguali Quando lo ricostruirono, eccetto la torre campanaria, tutto rifecero, senza alterare la croce greca... Il ciborio dell'altare del sacramento mi interessava assai più della lapide che faceva da sfondo alla sedia del conte Grimaldi. Nel braccio sinistra della croce, era una costruzione tutta d'oro, stava sopra un grande altare isolato e, tolto il breve spazio per celebrare, l'occupava tutto. Rappresentava un tempio raccolto intorno a una grandissima alta cupola con quattro cupolette minori a croce, come sarebbe stato San Pietro se non l'avessero allungato".

 

Da “Giù la piazza non c’è nessuno” di Dolores Prato

 

 

 

CURIOSITY

In 1782 was put the first stone of the new cathedral. The citizens participated to the construction with a great enthusiasm, because confident in the indulgences that the popes would have given to the contributors during the temple’s construction.

It was finished over then 30 years in 1814, and it was consecrated solemnly the 29^th September of the same year by San Vincenzo Maria Strambi, whom was the bishop of Macerata and Tolentino.

The cost of the huge construction was of 50.000 silver ecus.

 

ARCHITECTURE

The original was a map of Greek cross, but it were been made modifications which represented the same scheme. The church had to be longer and the façade pointed towards via Lanzi. It is said that the family which lived in the building, today property of Counts Bezzi, had asked for change the position of the façade and, for this reason, the map was reduced of a column. The tradition says also that, for the construction of the brick material, was built a furnace, situated in the actual sports field. On Sunday, the devotees, after the Mass, prepared the brick for the week. San Giuseppe Labre, that often moved from Rome to Loreto, helped them bringing on his shoulders stones and bricks, and encouraged the devotees to imitate him.

 

CURIOSITY

The precious painting of “Madonna della Misericordia”, painted by Miccinelli, was offered to the cathedral in 1715 from the  father Jesuit Giovan Battista Scaramelli.

The image was crowned by pope Pio VII, survivor of the imprisonment at Savona, in 17^th May 1814, in the cathedral of “San Nicola” in Tolentino. After the Mass, the pope kneeled in front of the image and put the crown on its head saying: “Come per le nostre mani o Vergine sei coronata in terra,  così fa che noi per te meritiamo di essere coronati in cielo di glorie e di onore da Gesù Cristo tuo figlio”.

 

THE PAINTING

In the painting of Giacomo da Recanati (1412) the Virgin is surrounded by angels and saints that give Child Jesus to the sainted Corrado da Offida. Lower left, is represented Beato Pietro da Treia, in which hand there is a piece of paper with the motto "Laetus moriar quia vidi Dominum meum". Conserved in the monastery of Forano, the painting was offered to the cathedral by the Grimaldi family that bought it after the banishment of religious persons in 1812. In the apse, on the contrary, is possible to admire a copy of “Annunciazione” by Guido Reni, which original painting is in the chapel of Quirinale in Rome. The copy is made by the Roman painter Luigi Romagnoli.

 

BAPTISMAL FONT

It was the only baptismal font of the City that was used by all the churches. It seems about IV century. It is a marble Corinthian capital of more or less about I century A.D., symbol of Roman Trea.

 

THE "SS. SACRAMENTO"

The chapel of SS. Sacramento was inserted later in the architectonical complex of the cathedral, drawn by Francesco Dionisi and realized by the company “Prenna” of Treia.

 

THE SCULPTURE

In the chapel of “Madonna della Misericordia” is conserved an artistic bust of pope Sisto V, named Felice Ferretti, made by Bastiano Torrigiani, known as “il Bologna”. Disciple of Guglielmo della Porta (1515-1577), realized the bust among 1585 and 1590. It was sold with other rarities of the papal residence. After being the property of various people, it arrived at Cardinal Grimaldi, whom conserved it for a period of time, and after allowed the cardinal to make maximum two copies of bronze, he removed the original bust offering it, in 1835, to the cathedral of his City, Treia, that already Sisto V had exalted as bishop’s palace.

 

CURIOSITY

A similar example of the bust of Treia, is conserved in Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

 

"IL BEATO PIETRO"

The statues of Beato Pietro da Treia is a work of the company Collini di Faenza (4 september 1904, six hundred years after the death of Beato Pietro).

 

THE BIG CRYPT

The cathedral is the proude holder of a big cripta, high about 9 meters with a surface, that is the half part of the church over it.