We stand before the Cathedral, the spiritual and historical heart of Albenga. This building stands at the very center of the Roman city and represents an extraordinary example of continuity: from Late Antiquity to the present day, the church has remained a place of worship and the center of the Christian community.
Its history is marked by transformations. The first church, dating back to the late Roman era, had three naves; in the Middle Ages, for centuries, only the central nave was used, while the side naves became burial grounds. With the growth of the city and the municipality, between the 11th and 12th centuries, the Cathedral was expanded and restored to its original grandeur. In the 16th century, after the Council of Trent, it underwent a major renovation: a raised floor, columns incorporated into massive pillars, new windows, and brighter vaults.
The façade you see retains early Romanesque elements, with medieval additions and an early 20th-century rose window. The bell tower, however, is a Ligurian Gothic masterpiece: it was rebuilt between 1393 and 1398, and its slender elegance reflects the refinement of that period.
Inside, thanks to 20th-century restorations, the building's various historical phases have been re-exposed: medieval columns and arches, fresco remains, and traces of the late antique altar beneath the presbytery. Don't miss the right apse chapel, which houses a splendid panel of the Pentecost by the Pavia painter Pietro Francesco Sacchi, and the imposing organ on the counterfaçade, with a 17th-century wooden case and a 19th-century instrument by the Serassi brothers of Bergamo.
The Cathedral is much more than a building: it is a living reminder of nearly two thousand years of history, faith, and art, which still accompanies the community of Albenga today.
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