The Cathedral of St. Andrew the Apostle, erected on the site of the ancient Forum Verolanum, è one of the focal points of Veroli’s history and culture. Built in the 13th century, the cathedral has roots dating back to an early Christian building from the 4th century, which was expanded over time.
An epigraph, preserved in the Treasury Chapel, highlights the church’s ancient origins. It commemorates the first of December in the year 384, when the presbyter Marturius was buried here. There are indeed ancient stone fragments that confirm the remote origins of the cathedral.
In 1350 an earthquake caused considerable damage to the building, but it was promptly rebuilt. In 1706, as the inscription on the facade reports, Bishop De Zaulis initiated renovations that gave the cathedral its current appearance, while retaining the central rose window of the 14th-century Gothic facade. Instead, the bell tower was built on an ancient Roman tower.
In the interior of the cathedral, the three naves are separated by pillars. The church’s present Baroque appearance is the result of work carried out in the late 17th and first half of the 18th century, which transformed the original Romanesque and Gothic elements. The wooden and artistically carved chancel made in 1624 by Bishop Asteo replaced the Romanesque stone one.
The interior of the cathedral houses a number of works of art, including “The Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew” by Polish painter Thaddeus Kuntze and a canvas depicting Saints Mary Salome, Blaise and Demetrius by painter Federico Buccatti of Alatri.
The third chapel along the right aisle holds part of the Cathedral’s precious Treasure, which includes more than 600 relics of immense artistic, historical and religious value. There are incredible artifacts here, including silver processional crosses from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, a silver reliquary bust containing the head of St. Mary Salome, a valuable collection of ivory caskets with Syriac and Persian art motifs. Finally, the cathedral’s capitular archives hold some 1,200 scrolls, dating back to the 9th century.