Old Cathedral, Brescia

Old Cathedral, Brescia tickets: which one to buy

The Old Cathedral of Brescia, the Duomo Vecchio, also called La Rotonda for its round shape, stands on the Piazza Paolo VI in the centre of Brescia, Lombardy, northern Italy, beside the much larger New Cathedral and the Broletto, the medieval town hall, and entry is free. It is one of the most important Romanesque round churches in Italy, and its simple, massive exterior hides an interior with remarkable art. Brescia is about forty-five minutes from Milan and half an hour from Verona by train, and the metro connects the station with the centre.

Visitors often combine the Old Cathedral with the New Cathedral next door, the Santa Giulia Museum, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Longobards in Italy, the Roman Capitolium and theatre, the Piazza della Loggia, and the castle on the hill above the town. Lake Garda is about half an hour away. The church is used for services, and visiting pauses during worship. The square in front of the two cathedrals is spacious and pleasant, with cafés. Brescia is less visited than other Lombard cities, which makes it relaxed and uncrowded.

Visiting Old Cathedral, Brescia: what to see

The Old Cathedral was built in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries on the site of an earlier church, the winter cathedral of Brescia, and it replaced a basilica from the early Christian period. It has a round plan, with a thick circular wall and a central dome supported by massive pillars, surrounded by an ambulatory, and the floor lies below the level of the modern square, so visitors walk down steps to enter. The exterior, of rough stone, has a low drum with small arches. Beneath the church, the Crypt of San Filastrio, older than the rotunda, has columns and capitals reused from Roman and early medieval buildings.

Remains of Roman baths and mosaic floors from the earlier basilica can be seen through openings in the floor. The church holds the red marble tomb of Bishop Berardo Maggi, from 1308, with carved scenes, and paintings by the Brescian masters of the Renaissance, Moretto and Romanino, in the presbytery, including works by Moretto showing the Assumption of the Virgin. The Chapel of the Holy Crosses holds a treasury, with a cross known as the Orifiamma and a reliquary of the True Cross, shown on special occasions. The presbytery was added in the fifteenth century.

Old Cathedral, Brescia opening hours and the best time to go

The Old Cathedral is open daily, with a break at lunchtime and restricted visiting during services, and it may close in the colder months on some weekdays, so check before visiting. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons in Brescia, and summer is hot. The Mille Miglia, the famous vintage car race, starts and finishes in Brescia in May or June. The feast of the Holy Crosses, when the relics are shown, is held in September. Allow about half an hour for the Old Cathedral, and visit the New Cathedral next door.