Church of the Most Holy Redeemer (Cathedral)

The history of the “New Temple” of Lonigo began in the summer of 1855, when a cholera epidemic spread so violently that it prompted the archpriest to lead a procession to the Church of Madonna dei Miracoli, carrying the crucifix of San Daniele. The heat was stifling that July afternoon and many of the sick were dying in their homes, yet a massive crowd gathered with candles and recited the Rosary, so much so that when the head of the procession reached the sanctuary, the crucifix had not yet left the church. Immediately after the procession, a cloud rose on the horizon and the long-awaited downpour began, marking the start of the cholera’s remission. The miraculous disappearance of the epidemic led to the construction of a votive temple.

The site chosen for the temple was perhaps the oldest in Lonigo: the eastern and southern side of the Calmano castle, built at the beginning of the 10th century. The castle occupied the area of today’s Palazzo Mugna (Town Hall), Palazzo Cassia, and the Cathedral; square and imposing, it benefited from a slight but significant elevation. In the second half of the 15th century, the community of Lonigo built a church dedicated to Saint Mark on the ruins of the castle. Consequently, the most prominent and significant area of the village of Lonigo was reserved for the Cathedral. Following a competition held in July 1874, which saw 26 projects submitted, the design by Veronese architect Giacomo Franco was selected. The foundation stone was laid in 1877, and the consecration took place on Saturday, July 20, 1895.

The style of the Cathedral is eclectic, revisiting parts of the Romanesque style, the Tuscan style, and more specifically, the Pisan style. The tripartite façade, the porch, and the rose window recall Venetian Romanesque stylistic elements, while the blind loggias reflect Pisan characteristics. The bands on the façade, alternating between tuff stone and brick, derive from Byzantine models that the Romanesque style reintroduced. Looking closely at the façade, we can observe: the base in hard Chiampo stone, which highlights the red marble columns of the porch and the two smaller portals, and the lunette of the porch, which is the work of Venetian mosaicists and depicts Christ in Majesty on a throne. Above the pediment of the porch is the Chiampo stone rose window, aligned with two brackets designed for the statues of Saints Peter and Paul: the eight petals and oculi of the rose window follow the Neo-Gothic taste. On the occasion of the centenary, the two statues planned by the architect Franco were finally realized, with sculptor Tancredi Mastrotto translating the rediscovered drawings into stone. The majestic figure of St. Peter reaffirms the role of primacy conferred upon him by Christ, while St. Paul is characterized by the sword, a symbol of his life divided in two by his encounter with Christ, of his combative action first against and then in favor of Christianity, and finally of his martyrdom by decapitation. Crowning the façade is a loggia with rampant arches supported by twin columns; the peaks are enhanced by small spires formed by four small columns supporting a cusp.

The longitudinal plan of the Cathedral makes the ideal journey started at the back of the nave converge here; the pentagonal apse is enriched by a sort of loggia of which only two windows are open. The two stained-glass windows break the light into a myriad of colored pieces arranged in a spiral rhythm, symbolically representing the Triumphant Christ and the Annunciation to Mary. The high altar is surrounded by four columns with refined acanthus leaf capitals supporting the gabled ciborium. Above the altar is the famous Crucifix which, according to tradition, was found in the fields by a pair of oxen that, while plowing, sensed its presence and knelt down: a miraculous event commemorated by the capital of San Daniele. The ancient olive wood cross was initially kept in a chapel of San Daniele and was later moved to the Altar of the Holy Spirit in the Pieve. In 1895, the Crucifix was solemnly brought to the Cathedral, and from here it is removed only on Good Friday for the Stations of the Cross. Christ’s face is both gentle and stern, the nose sharpened by death, the eyes sunken, the forehead still contracted, and the mouth slightly open in His final breath. The halo consists of a metal disk, as was once used for statues displayed outdoors to provide a sort of protection. Four golden rays radiating from the intersection of the arms accentuate the cross as a focal point of attraction.

The organ has been repositioned behind the ciborium: it is a fantastic apparatus, almost a wooden model whose profile recalls the spires of a cathedral. The organ is built with extremely refined carving, utilizing precious gilding to highlight the elements of the structure, the work of Giuseppe Regagioli, who created all the wooden furnishings of the Cathedral.