The Cathedral of San Martino is the cathedral church of Lucca and the principal place of worship of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lucca. It stands in Piazza San Martino, close to Piazza Antelminelli and the former episcopal complex, within the southeastern part of the city’s walled historical center. Dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, the Cathedral of San Martino developed from an early medieval religious building traditionally attributed to Bishop Frediano. Its present appearance records several major building phases, combining a richly decorated Romanesque exterior with a tall, predominantly Gothic interior created through successive medieval and Renaissance interventions. The Lucca Cathedral is especially important for three reasons: its asymmetrical marble façade, the venerated wooden crucifix known as the Volto Santo di Lucca, and the marble Funerary Monument of Ilaria del Carretto by Jacopo della Quercia. Together, these elements connect architecture, pilgrimage, civic identity, and artistic patronage. The cathedral also formed part of a wider episcopal and liturgical complex that included the nearby Church of Santi Giovanni e Reparata, its baptistery, ecclesiastical buildings, and spaces now incorporated into the Cathedral Museum and archaeological itinerary. This concentration of monuments preserves evidence from Roman, early Christian, medieval, and later periods. Short Read more [...]