Following up on Tuesday’s post, here are some more pictures of one of my favorite churches in Italy, the cathedral of Modena, dedicated to a St Geminianus, bishop of the city in the later 4th century, and the Virgin of the Assumption.
A polyptych of the Coronation of the Virgin Mary, with Ss. Nicholas, Christopher, Geminianus and Anthony the Abbot, by Serafino de’ Serafini, 1385. This chapel is at the very top of the large staircase that leads to the highly elevated main sanctuary.
The green stone of this portable altar was made as such in the 4th century; the metalwork in which it is encased is perhaps from the 12th.
At the base of the bell-tower is the Chamber of the Stolen Bucket, which soldiers from Modena stole in 1325 from a public well in their city’s long-time rival, Bologna. The cage seen on the lower left of this photograph covers the whole door, since the room was create to store precious objects of the cathedral treasury, including relics.
Romanesque capitals in the crypt.
The decorative slab on the front of this altar was carved in the 9th century.
Modern work in the main apse of the church.
The rood screen of the church was never removed.
A closer view of part of the liturgical pulpit.
An early 19th century altar frontal.
From the Cathedral Museum
A Gospel book of the early 12th century.
The cathedral roof seen from the top of the bell-tower.
A view of the city from the bell-tower. The imposing structure on the right is the palace of the Dukes of Modena, which was ruled by the Este family from 1452 to 1859. The building is now a military academy.
