MONUMENTS OF CREMONA
THE BAPTISTRY
The construction of the baptistry had beginning in 1167; from the typical octagonal plant it recalls symbolically the eighth day of the resurrection of Christ and therefore by extension the baptism. The outside in terracotta introduces smooth walls on which small are opened windows double lancet windows or single, characterized from buttress to acute chine and in some semicircular thin cases subdivided through two lesene final ones in small capitals cubic and concluded from a frieze of hanging bows. From the 1553 baptistry it endured participations of modification, that they left but the original medieval structure unchanged, but interested the marble cover of the two foreheads north and the northeast, adapting them therefore to the new renaisance shape of the facade of the cathedral executed to the end of the XV sec. It is characterized from one loggia formed from small pillars and one decorated cooked band in with doubles quantity oculi "post - bramanteschi" for every side; moreover the original medieval cover was duplicate, raising and separating the wood roof and covering it d slabs of branch to the outside. To the inside in 1531 the new christening font was completed; the income was enriched in the 1588 from a protiro Romanesque, with turn to cask and columns resting on lions, constructed from Angelo Nani . The baptistry conserve mainly the medieval system even if is visible some gothic elements. The system of the baptistry based on two stone shells separates you to the inside from a case of compensation concurs the formulation of the cupola with eight segments that finishes in the structure to fornici used in the space between the same cupola and the pyramidal upper wing surface. To the inside on the wall south the altar of San.Giovanni decorated from a cross is situated going back to the XIV, behind of this fresco with the Maddalena and the devout women to the feet of Jesus cross and in sky between creator the God clouds. To the inside of the building they have been put mosaic fragments of the little yard of the Torrazzo characterizing from a series of octagons connects you to some squares from a plait to two bands and adorned with reasons decorated to you between which sheets of ivy and buds of rose. Original of the baptistry, today exposed in the episcopal palace, they were the two woodpeckers of bronze with protomi going back leonine to the XII. On the top of the monument there is statue in bronze of the archangel Gabriel, hour replaced from one copy.
IL TORRAZZO
The Torrazzo, today symbol of the city, is according to bell tower in masonry higher than Europe with its "250 arms e 2 cremona ounces " like law in tombstone to the base of the tower the correspondents to 112 12 meters and cm Per tradition the Torrazzo comes built up in the 754 and 1284 today instead its reconstruction comes made to go back to four different periods. The beginning of the yard comes made to go back to the third decade of the XIII sec., the second to the half of the same century, third towards the 1284 and last quarter and within 1309. The Torrazzo is constituted from three various parts, before formed from a square tower in Romanesque style with the side of 13 m and walls thick 3, that they finish with of the merlons of stone; la second formed from a double octagonal order of wreath in stone and masonry and third constituted from a marble spire, typically gothic, final in a ball surpassed from a cross of golden branch, said Ghirlandaia. On the tower widths are opened vertical double lancet windows and tree-light windows and structural shapes or to horizontal frames giving to the walls a light and shade effect. Anciently the Torrazzo, composed from 502 steps, was realized for military scopes, in fact it came used in order to call to collection the soldiers, but in the 300 became the bell tower of the cathedral neighbour. The main part of the tower is constituted from the great astronomical clock, representative the celestial time with the constellations of the zodiac crossed from the motion of the sun and the position of the moon and to approximately a third party of the height. This clock was realized in the 1583 from Giovanni Divizioli Batiste and the son Giovanni Francisco while originally Brush was painted from Paul and later painted again more times in the arc of the centuries. The gears of the clock put four nozzles in motion, between these the more interesting is the second one in fact completes an only every complete turn eighteen years and three months and when it is overlapped to the other auctions it indicates the eclipses. The Torrazzo possesses seven bells each dedicated to a saint: smallest it has been christened Barbarian S Eurosia and largest it is dedicated to S Omobono and S Imerio. This last one placed in the bell room, hung alone 35 quintals. For its height, in the history, it has been chosen more times like place from which killing.
THE LOGGIA DEI MILITI
The Loggia of Militi is one of the beautifulest palaces in gothic style of northern Italy and is an interesting example of communal architecture started to become high-class architecture. The palace was constructed in 1292 like testifies the contained registration in tombstone the bulwark in the facade; in the high part of this last one they always are represents gonfalon of common and the four banners capacities to you respective from the knights of the four doors of the ancient city: Pertugio door, Aliberti door, door Born them and door of Saint Lorenzo. The history of the loggia closely is connected to the evolution of the "Society of Militi"; in fact during the Ghibelline period of the such city palace and the porch was the centre of the reunions of the captains of the society, that they were the richest inhabitants of the city and the peasantry and the owners of feuds. With the strengthening of the Guelph faction, the society of supports, even if supplanted from the "society of the people" it maintained its prerogatives of military and social body. Beyond after place of reunions, the palace was used after guard of the flag, the roles and the particular statutos. The Loggia of Militi, rifaring itself to the municipals Lombardic, is a structure in cooked, characterized from a porch to the floor with two arched and from a hall to the first floor to rectangular plant. The floor with windows on the long side three-light windows is constituted from three ogival, correspondents to two high ones arched to sixth acute one of the arcade one, while the short side is recorded from one single double lancet window, above an only one arched. It is possible to comprise the important pictorial quality of the parietal surface stopping itself to admire the splendid tiny embroideries on metal rings, superficial advanced external of uniform thickness of an arc, the cornices. The palace extension a splendid chromatic game embellishing also from the counterpoint of thin marble columns. Under the porch conserve emblem of coming from Cremona from the door the daisy demolished in 1910, constituted from two resisting statues of Hercules the city coat of arms.
THE MUNICIPAL
The date of construction of the palace is uncertain, probably the jobs began in the last years of the XII sec., between 119é 1194; sure references, document you from a tombstone located in the courtyard, go back pear tree to 1206 and to 1245, year in which the palace it enlarged. Puts into effect them condition allows as an example to recognize some going back characteristics to the 200 half of the adoption of the module and the rectilinear tracing, to simple plant and shapes squared of monks ancestries. The medieval structure of the palace remained equal until the XV sec. In the 1496 important regarding modifications were brought above all the facade: four windows delineated from marble frames were realized carved to law-relief to mythological subject and allegorical, later it was grafted in the pillar centres them of the facade a incision of marble. To 1568-78 laughed them the inner subdivision of the building in large it knows them of reunion: that one of the Council, a nail head, said knows it of violins and one called gallery of access the Hall of the Pictures. Then a big stairway built up on the side towards via Gonfalonieri and ulterior modifications were carried out in the facades: the windows were reduced in rectangular shape and the frames they were red-use for two portals presents still in the halls of the Alabaredieri and the Council . Finally in the XIX sec. on indication of the Voghera I modify the facade newly and substitutes the big stairway of the XVI sec with a new one. From the Middle Ages the walls of the communal palace had become rich from complements decorated you of painting character, those pertaining to the 300 represent the restitution of the ways between Parma and inner Cremona . In the hall there are distinguished several fresco of the XIII sec. to leave from the wall orient them of know it of the second Alabardieri. In half of the 400 were decorated with flowers reasons the times of carry to us and on the walls of this precious ones are present three lunette that they recall the Lombardic figurative culture. To the term of the stairway of honor, it is present a renaissance portal; particulars decorated to you represents history of Hercules above all. In it knows it of the pictures are from remembering the paintings with the collection of the manna of Cossali and the multiplication of breads and a Last Supper of the same Genovesino. In the same room, the eight round ones of the ceiling represents the virtues of the government. In order to conclude the room of the violins it guards some masterpieces of the cremona lutes, between which one Stradivari.
CATHEDRAL OF CREMONA
The jobs for the construction of puts into effect them cathedral was begins to you in the first years of the XII sec., but the earthquake of 3 January 1117 stopped and ruined great part of the yards that, after a ten d ' years from their beginning, as it can be read on tombstone of foundation the representative the prophets Enoc and Elia, were in phase of advancing construction. The jobs could be restarted single in 1129 and be concluded between 1160 and 1170, but ulterior added modifications and were carried out until the end of the century. The consecration of the cathedral and in particular dell ' altar dedicated to its patrons S Archelao and S Imerio happened in 1196. Sure clearer the structure of the cathedral appears after 1129: probably it was organized along three naves with transept and crypt. During the realization they were calls in order to embellish to the church sculptors coming from various places and having different styles to you a lot. It’s possible to attribute to a good number of statues bulwarks in the western and northern main façade of wiligelmo style. To the same school there are important creation is all the cathedral, one of the beautifulest Romanesque sculptures; this is formed from four representing slabs the prophets Ezechiele, Daniel, Isaia, Geremia, situated on the greater portal. Of wiligelmo guideline they are always architrave representative Jesus and the twelve apostles, two wonderful consoles that retracted two persons with a bearded man and a mermaid, the other with a man with of the moustaches and the mermaid, then the symbols of the evangelists and the two patrons Enoc and Elia, and a law-relief marked from a shoot in which symbolic images of men and animals are identified. With much probability one other adjacent building to the Romanesque church existed sin from the XII sec that must have the purpose of double cathedral, this hypothesis is confirmed gives of the mosaic findings in the cemetery. The facade that still today is possible to see was created between the end of the 200 and first years of 300, the posterior one is instead the realization of part of the transept and the rose-window. This last one was decorated from frieze with a shoot of screw with leaves and clusters grape that represents the world, in the spaces between a leaf and l ' other have been inserted of the fantastic and symbolic animals. In the same years the construction of a marble covering was begun, the creation in this of two galleries and the reconstruction of the facades of the arm north and south of the transept. Externally sculptural works until to the XIV sec were added, while the inner decoration of the cathedral began in the XIII sec. even if us there are remained of this single period fragments, to the XIV sec laughed them the cycle of frescoes dell ' Old Testament, that it comprises 37 episodes frescoes on background white man to you of the facades of the transept. In the 1383 they were constructed of the painted turns then with red stars. In the XV sec they began many works of restructure and embellishment that were concluded in 1491. Initially constructed the part centres them and the loggia called the "Bertazzola", moreover it created an attic and a porch. It was constructed during renaissance the panels that reproduce history of the SS martyrdoms Mario, Marta, Audiface and Abaco. Wood complex of great relief is then the chorus and the cross from altar in silver. In the XVI sec the cycle was painted of frescoes on the sidewalls of the greater nave one that narrate the way of Maria and Christ. Until the days ours the cathedral has become rich of works d ' art as an example the history of S Rocco of the Genovesino of the XVII sec, the wood group of the sacred family of G. Bertesi of the 600, the Nail head of the Reliquie realized in XVII or l ' the burial urn of Mons. G. Bonomelli in marble and bronze of 1923.
