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The Duomo of Verona (Duomo di Verona) serves as the cathedral of the UNESCO World Heritage listed city of Verona. It’s located on the northern tip of the historic center and is one of the most impressive churches in town.
Introduction to the Duomo of Verona
The Duomo of Verona, officially the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta (Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta) and also known as the Cathedral of Santa Maria Matriculare (Cattedrale di Santa Maria Matricolare) is the most important Catholic church in the city. The cathedral was built in the Romanesque style on the site of a 9th century church destroyed during an earthquake in 1117. Construction started in 1120 and it was consecrated on September 13, 1187. Pope Lucius III (c. 1100-1185) died in Verona and was buried in the Duomo, but his tomb has not been preserved.
The Duomo of Verona has undergone several renovations since then, with major work taking place in the 15th and 16th centuries as well as the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It exhibits Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque elements. The apse has retained its mid-12th century Romanesque appearance.
Visiting the Duomo of Verona
Although the Duomo of Verona sits on Piazza Duomo, the tourist entrance and ticket office is at the back of the building. Admission is €4 (as of May 2025) or free for kids under 11 and holders of a Verona Card. The church is open daily, and the ticket gives you access to three buildings of the complex including the Duomo, the Church of St Helen, and the Baptistry of St. John. A free printed info sheet and downloadable audio guide are included with admission. Check the official website for more info.
Another option for tickets is to pay €8 (as of May 2025) to get access to four churches in Verona, including St. Anastasia, San Zeno, and San Fermo.
Finally, with a ticket to the Duomo, the Chapter Library can be visited on a self-guided tour for an additional €6, otherwise tickets are €7 and free for kids under 11 (as of May 2025). It’s open daily except Wednesdays.
Façade of the Duomo of Verona
The façade of the Duomo of Verona contains a two-story porch and is topped by a pediment. The upper part of the façade reflects 17th century Baroque addition, while the lower part, including the windows on each side of the porch, is from a 14th century Gothic renovation.
The coat of arms of Cardinal Agostino Valier (1531-1606), the Bishop of Verona from 1565 to 1599, is on the pediment. It was placed there in 1587. Below is a rose window, while the upper section of the porch contains a clock.
The portal was carved by Nicholaus (Niccolò) and is supported by columns resting on the backs of two griffins. Figures of Charlemagne’s crusaders Roland (d. 778) and Oliver sit on either side, reminding visitors of the constant need to protect the Church. In the lunette is a bas-relief of the Madonna and Child surrounded by the Magi and shepherds. On the lintel below are medallions of the Virtues, Faith, Charity and Hope. In the doorposts and jambs you’ll find 10 figures of prophets, while the symbols of the Four Evangelists and the Hand of God are in the barrel vault.
Bell Tower
The bell tower, which is unfinished, was designed in the Renaissance style by Michele Sanmicheli (1484-1559) in the 16th century and remains unfinished. It stands just under 75 meters high on a Romanesque base constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries. Each side is 11.1 meters long while the walls are 3.1 meters thick, containing traces of 14th century frescoes. The top of the tower was completed in 1925 on a design by Ettore Fagiuoli (1884-1961).
The tower contains 10 bells. Eight were cast in 1931 while the ninth was cast in 2003 to replace a previous bell that cracked in 2000. The tenth bell was added in 2014. One of the original bells, cast in 1358, is on display at the Castelvecchio Museum.
Nave of the Duomo of Verona
The interior of the Duomo is a feast for the eyes, with huge rose-colored marble columns, impressive frescoes, and ornately decorated side chapels and funerary monuments. It’s on a rectangular plan with a central nave and two aisles.
Presbytery
The presbytery occupies the final section of the nave. It’s separated from the Main Chapel (Cappella Maggiore) in the apse, which served as the original presbytery, by a semicircular colonnade designed by Michele Sanmicheli and constructed in 1550. Francesco Torbido (1486-1562) decorated the apse in 1534 with frescoes designed by Giulio Romano (c 1499-1546).
Chapels and Monuments
There are four chapels along each aisle interspersed with funerary monuments. Most of the paintings decrorating the chapels were done by Veronese artists, but the most important is a 1535 representation of the Assumption of the Virgin by Titian (1488-1576). It’s in the Cartolari-Nichesola Chapel (Cappella Cartolari-Nichesola) which is unfortunately not pictured here.
Abbazia-Lazzari Chapel
The Abbazia-Lazzari Chapel (Cappella Abbazia-Lazzari) is the second chapel on the left. It was commissioned by Giovanni Abbazia in the 15th century but later acquired by the Lazzari family. It’s dedicated to the Corpus Domini (Blessed Body of Jesus Christ). The altarpiece is Christ between Tobias, the Angel and the Saints Liborio and Francis de Sales, painted by Sante Prunati (1652/56-1728). It’s surrounded by frescoes depicting saints, apostles, and angels painted by Antonio Badile (c. 1518-1560) in the second half of the 15th century.
Cartolari Chapel
The third chapel on the left is the Cartolari Chapel (Cappella Cartolari), which was built in 1465 by Bartolomeo Cartolari and dedicated to Archangel Michael. The Baroque altar was created by Angelo Ranghieri in the 17th century. It’s decorated with the altarpiece The Holy Virgin and Archangel Michael, St. George and St. Jerome by Michelangelo Prunati (1690-1756).
Chapel of the Virgin of the People
The fourth chapel on the left aisle is the domed Chapel of the Virgin of the People (Cappella della Madonna del Popolo). It dates back to 1510 and is framed in triumphal arch. The arch is the only remnant of the original Renaissance chapel, as the altar and altarpiece were redone in the Baroque style in 1756. Inside is the statue of the Virgin and Child, created by Vincenzo Cadorin (1854-1925) in 1921. The chapel also contains an urn holding the “thorn” of SS Firmus and Rusticus.
Funerary Monument of Antonio Cesari
The funerary monument of Antonio Cesari (1760-1828), a linguist and a purist of the Italian language, is between the first two chapels on the right aisle.
Memo Chapel
The Memo Chapel (Cappella Memo), also known as the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament (Cappella del Santissimo Sacramento), is fourth on the right aisle. It was built in 1435 by Bishop Guido Memo (d. 1438) and decorated the following year by Jacopo Bellini (c. 1400-c. 1470). The chapel, which is topped by a dome, was modified several times over the centuries with the last renovation taking place in 1762. The altar was made by Francesco and Paolo Maderno. It’s adorned with a painting of The Last Supper was painted by Gian Battista Burato (1731-1787), while statues of St. Zeno and St. Nicholas by Francesco Zoppi (1733-1799) stand on either side.
Organs
At the ends of each aisle are the two pipe organs. Both are contained in gilded wooden cabinets with paintings on the doors. The organ on the left side is the Farinati, while the organ on the right is the Antegnati.
The Farinati was built by Domenico Farinati (1857-1942) in 1909. The outside of the doors depict the Dormition of Mary while on the inside are Four Veronese bishops, all painted by Felice Riccio (1542-1605) in the 16th century. Riccio also painted Stories of the Old Testament on the balustrade.
The Antegnati was commissioned by Bishop Agostino Valier (1531-1606) but the original has not survived. It was rebuilt in 1992 by Barthélemy Formentelli (b. 1939). The paintings on the doors were commissioned by Bishop Sebastiano Pisani II and completed by Biagio Falcieri (1628-1703) in 1683. On the outside is the Assumption of Mary while on the inside is a Sacred Conversation with four holy bishops of Verona. The Birth of Mary and Visitation are on the balustrade.
Church of St. Helen
The Church of St. Helen (Chiesa di Sant’Elena) is attached to the Duomo of Verona. It sits on the site of the very first Christian place of worship in the city, which was built by St. Zeno in the 4th century. The name of the church is unknown and is referred to as “Church A”. It was later readapted and modified in what’s known as “Church B”.
Church B likely collapsed after a fire in the 8th century, and a church dedicated to SS George and Zeno was built on its ruins. It was consecrated between 842 and 847 but was destroyed in the earthquake of 1117. The current church is the result of a reconstruction completed in 1140.
On January 20, 1320, Dante Alighieri (c. 1265-1321) addressed his Question of the Water and of the Land (Quaestio de aqua et terra) in the church. In the 15th century, the Church of St. Helen was directly connected to the Duomo of Verona by a cross vault on the south side.
The Church of St. Helen has a single nave with a quadrangular apse. The main altar is covered by a barrel vault with frescoes painted by Bernardino Brugnoli (1538-1583). The altarpiece, Virgin and Child with Saints Stephen, Zeno, George, and Helen, was painted by Felice Riccio (1542-1605) in the 16th century. On the sides are two more altars with altarpieces of the Virgin and Child and the Saints John of Nepomuk, Helen, and Catherine by Pietro Antonio Rotari (1707-1762) and the Redeemer, Angels and Saints Francis de Sales and Philip Neri by Giovanni Pietro Salvaterra (1687-1743). On the counter-façade is a colonnaded vestibule.
Archaeological Area
The Church of St. Helen also contains an archaeological area. Excavations carried out between 1960 and 1970 revealed the foundations of the 4th century basilica (Church A), as well as a mosaic floor.
Baptistry of St. John
The Baptistry of St. John (Battistero di San Giovanni in Fonte). Originally built in the 7th or 8th century, it was destroyed in the earthquake of 1117 and rebuilt between 1120 and 1123 in the Romanesque style. The baptistry has a central nave and two aisles separated by two rows of four arches. Each ends with an apse. The interior was decorated with frescoes between the 12th and 14th centuries but only traces are visible today.
A marble baptismal font framed by an octagonal gate sits in the center. It was created at the end of the 12th century and is attributed to Brioloto de Balneo (d. 1225). The sides are decorated with relief panels depicting The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Nativity, The Announcement to the shepherds, The Adoration of the Magi, Herod ordering the massacre of the innocents, The massacre of the innocents, The flight to Egypt, and the Baptism of Christ.
Bishop’s Palace
The Bishop’s Palace (Palazzo Vescovile) houses the Diocese of Verona. It sits behind the Duomo of Verona. The first building was constructed in the 8th century and was damaged by fire before 806. It was restored sometime between the 10th and 11th centuries and stood until it was destroyed by the earthquake in 1117. The building was promptly reconstructed in the Romanesque style.
In the 13th century the complex was expanded with two new buildings to the north and west. The Hall of Bishops (Salone dei Vescovi) was frescoed in 1566 by Domenico Riccio (1516-1567), who painted likenesses of 101 Veronese bishops. At the end of the 18th century, the building was occupied by Napoleon’s troops.
The Bishop’s Palace is a trapezoidal complex with a central courtyard. On the south side is a loggia featuring an entrance portal made of white and blue marble and double Corinthian columns. In the center is a bas-relief of the Enthroned Virgin and Child. On top are statues of SS Peter and Paul on the left and right and Archangel Michael in the center. The northern building has three floors and a Romanesque tower. On the east side is a Renaissance loggia while on the west side there is a small arcaded structure.
Chapter Library
The Chapter Library (Biblioteca Capitolare) is considered one of the world’s oldest continuously functioning libraries. It was established in the 5th century and contains over 100,000 books, manuscripts, parchments, incunables, and documents dating back to its foundation.
The library was looted by Napoleon’s troops on May 16, 1797, with roughly 30 manuscripts and 14 incunables taken. Not all have been recovered. The building also took a direct hit during an Allied bombing on January 4, 1945. The entire collection had already been moved for safekeeping, but the library had to be rebuilt. It reopened on September 28, 1948.
The building also contains the Canonical Museum (Museo Canonicale), which opened to the public on April 12, 1988. It displays a collection of archaeological fragments from Roman buildings and early Christian basilicas, religious items, and sculptures and paintings from the 12th through 19th centuries.
