Rating
4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)
User Reviews
Bernardus Ordelman (2 years ago)
Visiting Aosta you must have been there
Visiting Aosta you must have been there
Mark Ebrey (2 years ago)
An impressive building which you need to seek out. To me, it’s not obvious except from the front.
An impressive building which you need to seek out. To me, it’s not obvious except from the front.
David Kaye (3 years ago)
Please visit if you can
Please visit if you can
ZINNIA MONDAL (3 years ago)
This Roman Catholic Cathedral also known as the Cathedral of Santa Maria is a must visit if you're doing a city tour of Aosta.
This Roman Catholic Cathedral also known as the Cathedral of Santa Maria is a must visit if you're doing a city tour of Aosta.
Mario Falzon (3 years ago)
Describing Aosta’s Cathedral as an ensemble of architectural styles in a hotchpotch does not perhaps do justice to this great structure; yet, as I approached the church from the west edge of Piazza Giovanni XXIII, this was my first impression of the building. The bell towers at the back, partly hidden from view by the bulky front are purely Romanesque and architecturally sublime. Dating back to the 11th century, they are unquestionably a rare example of untouched Romanesque in this part of Italy. But... move closer and you are faced with a voluminous out-of-style 19th-century neo-classical facade that does not in any way tally with the cathedral’s original architecture. The porticoed atrium, supported on huge columns and decorated with fine frescoes and a series of terracotta statues is undoubtedly an out-of-place replacement to an otherwise sweet Romanesque original. The gaudy fill-in painting on the tympanum is a fine work of art when seen as a stand-alone but is certainly an out-of-place addition here. The only relief is the cathedral’s Gothic interior. Austere but structurally imposing, it still holds a handful of original pieces that are worth checking out. The 12th-century mosaics preserved in the choir date back to the Romanesque era while the 4th-century baptismal font in the central nave is an untouched original. Take one of the several guided tours to the cathedral’s attic (created by lowering the ceiling in the 14th century) where a series of impressive 11th-century frescoes are perhaps the cathedral’s best asset.
Describing Aosta’s Cathedral as an ensemble of architectural styles in a hotchpotch does not perhaps do justice to this great structure; yet, as I approached the church from the west edge of Piazza Giovanni XXIII, this was my first impression of the building. The bell towers at the back, partly hidden from view by the bulky front are purely Romanesque and architecturally sublime. Dating back to the 11th century, they are unquestionably a rare example of untouched Romanesque in this part of Italy. But... move closer and you are faced with a voluminous out-of-style 19th-century neo-classical facade that does not in any way tally with the cathedral’s original architecture. The porticoed atrium, supported on huge columns and decorated with fine frescoes and a series of terracotta statues is undoubtedly an out-of-place replacement to an otherwise sweet Romanesque original. The gaudy fill-in painting on the tympanum is a fine work of art when seen as a stand-alone but is certainly an out-of-place addition here. The only relief is the cathedral’s Gothic interior. Austere but structurally imposing, it still holds a handful of original pieces that are worth checking out. The 12th-century mosaics preserved in the choir date back to the Romanesque era while the 4th-century baptismal font in the central nave is an untouched original. Take one of the several guided tours to the cathedral’s attic (created by lowering the ceiling in the 14th century) where a series of impressive 11th-century frescoes are perhaps the cathedral’s best asset.
