Piacenza Cathedral

Piacenza Cathedral is a Romanesque cathedral located in the city of Piacenza in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, and functions as the city’s principal church. Construction took place during the medieval period with major building phases in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Architectural highlights include the cathedral’s Romanesque façade, the main nave and transept spaces, and a series of interior artworks and tombs of local importance. The cathedral forms part of a small ecclesiastical complex that includes a baptistery.

The cathedral was built to replace earlier religious structures on the same site and reflects the ecclesiastical and civic ambitions of the medieval city. Over subsequent centuries the building has been maintained and altered but retains its Romanesque character.

The cathedral sits on the city’s principal cathedral square in central Piacenza and is accessible from the surrounding historic centre.

• Date range: Construction began in the 12th century and the building shows Romanesque architectural features typical of northern Italy from that period.

What to See #

• Cathedral interior: The cathedral nave and transept area, containing the principal liturgical spaces and several notable artworks and tombs.
• Baptistery: The nearby Baptistery of the adjacent cathedral complex, historically and architecturally linked to the main church.