Even wandering at random it is impossible
to miss Piazza Grande, the geographical and historic centre of
the city, where the monumental and the everyday, the religious
and the secular, and past and present all meet. The apse and
south side of the Duomo, as the cathedral is known, overlook the
square, and this splendid example of Romanesque architecture,
work on which started in 1099, is Modena's most important historic
building. The motif of the blind arcaded loggia with triforium,
the hanging arches, the columniferous lions, the porches and,
on the main facade, the bas-reliefs by Wiligelmo are all
typically Romanesque, but combined here in a building of unique
character. It is worth visiting Modena to see the cathedral alone,
since it encapsulates the art and culture of the late Middle Ages.
Looking at it, the visitor realises that the cathedral is still
alive and capable of communicating clearly with anyone able to
interpret the meanings of its marble forms. A first sight it
is obviously a blend of architecture and sculpture of rare beauty,
and it is no coincidence that in an age when artists were considered
mere craftsmen and only the names of their patrons who commissioned
their works survived, the name of Lanfranco appears in
the plaque on the main apse, and that of in the
last line of the plaque on the facade supported by the prophets
Enoch and Elias.
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