The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is the Cathedral of Reggio Emilia, located in Piazza Camillo Prampolini, in the historical center of the city. SHORT HISTORY OF THE CATHEDRAL OF SANTA MARIA ASSUNTA The first documents attesting to the existence of a church in the area date back to the middle of the 9th century. However, the structure was probably built in the 5th century. At the beginning of the 10th century, after repeated incursions of the Magyars, the Emperor Ludovico III entrusted bishop Pietro with the construction of the walls around the episcopal palace and the Cathedral. On December 26, 1228, the bell tower of the Cathedral collapsed. In 1268, under bishop Guido da Fogliano, the octagonal lantern and the current bell tower were built. In 1522, the enormous embossed copper statue of the Madonna with Child, by Bartolomeo Spani, was placed on the lantern. In 1544, Prospero Sogari, also known as Clemente, was commissioned to build the new facade of the church. The work on the facade started shortly after, but, due to lack of resources, it was stopped after a while. In 1557, the statues of Adam and Eve, also works by Spani, were placed above Read more [...]