La Cattadrale di San Rufino è una delle chiese sacre più importanti di Assisi, oltre che una testimonianza architettonica e artistica di grande valore. La facciata, in particolare, è uno degli esempi più significativi e belli dell’arte romanica di scuola umbra, con i suoi rosoni e le elaborate decorazioni.

La Cattedrale sorge in fondo all’omonima piazza di forma rettangolare, ergendosi in tutta la sua imponenza. Essa venne costruita su di una terrazza di epoca romana che forse costituiva proprio l’antico foro romano della città di Assisi.

San Rufino, bellezze e dettagli artistici

Come risulta dai caratteri gotici di una lapide, murata sulla parete di fondo della navata destra, fu dato inizio alla costruzione della Cattedrale di San Rufino nell’anno 1140. L’attribuzione diretta è per l’architetto Giovanni da Gubbio.

La Chiesa destinata a raccogliere le spoglie del Vescovo Martire San Rufino, che predicò il Vangelo in Assisi nella prima metà del III secolo. Si tratta in ordine di tempo del terzo luogo sacro dedicato al santo, dopo il piccolo sacello del V secolo e la Chiesa d’Ugone del XI secolo.

La magnifica Facciata della Chiesa

La facciata rappresenta uno splendido esempio di stile romanico-umbro. E’ divisa verticalmente in tre parti da lesene, corrispondenti alle tre navate interne; orizzontalmente in tre zone delimitate da cornici dai tipici archi romanici.

Nella fascia inferiore, divisa in tre riquadri, si aprono tre portali ad arco con leoni e grifi stilofori. Il campanile è degno coronamento della facciata, è costruito su una robusta fondazione romana, costituita da enormi blocchi in travertino. Il campanile faceva già parte della Chiesa d’Ugone, ma era posto più basso.

La parte superiore alla cornice a conci squadrati, fu costruita contemporaneamente alla facciata, ed è con essa in perfetta armonia. Le bifore della cella campanaria, sovrastano quattro ordini d’archetti ciechi destinati a dare maggiore slancio alla struttura architettonica.

All’interno di San Rufino: la cripta

L’interno della Cattadrale presenta la tipica struttura a tre navate divise da pilastri, con l’abside e l’altare centrale. Da una piccola apertura adiacente al Battistero, è possibile scendere le scale che conducono alla Cripta di San Rufino, in parte adiacente alle antiche strutture romane sopra alle quali fu costruita la chiesa.

La cripta si presenta come una vera e propria chiesa sotterranea, con una forma a croce greca divisa in tre navate e un’abside con volte a crociera. Colonne e rispettivi capitelli che si trovano in questi ambienti sono anch’essi sicuramente di origine romana. Qui si trova anche il primo sarcofago di San Rufino, utilizzato per seppellirne il corpo dopo il martirio dle 238 d.C.

Il Museo Diocesano di San Rufino

In quest’area si aprono altri suggestivi ambienti che costituiscono il Museo Diocesano di San Rufino, di cui fa parte la stessa cripta. Troviamo infatti un chiostro del XI secolo con al centro un pozzo di origine romana, un lapidario e varie sale con reperti di particolare interesse storico-artistico, tra le quali citiamo:

• Un fronte di un sarcofago romano risalente al II sec. D.C.;
• Affreschi raffiguranti varie scene della vita di Gesù eseguiti dal Maestro della Santa Chiara (fine XIII secolo), Puccio Capanna (1334), Matteo da Gualdo (1475 circa);
• Lo stendardo processionale della Confraternita di San Francesco e San Leonardo del 1378 e altri stendardi di epoche successive
• Il Polittico di San Rufino  del 1462, opera di Niccolò Alunno;
• La Collezione Perkins composta da 32 opere di maestri italiani fra i quali si annoverano Giovanni Boccati, Jacopo della Quercia, Filippo Lippi, Francesco di Giorgio Martini e Giovanni Santi.

16 marzo – 15 ottobre ore 10.00-13.00 / 15.00-18.00
16 ottobre – 15 marzo ore 10.00-13.00 / 14.30-17.30

Cattedrale di San Rufino, orari d’apertura

La Cattedrale è visitabile tutti i giorni, nei seguenti orari:

orario solare giornaliero:
08.00 – 13.00 e 14.00 – 18.00
orario legale giornaliero:
8.00 – 13.00 e 15.00 – 19.00
(Durante la Settimana Santa, orari continuato 07.00 – 19.00)

Per ulteriori informazioni è possibile contattare lo 075816016

Puoi inoltre approfondire i luoghi simbolo e gli itinerari consigliati ad Assisi nel nostro articolo su Cosa Vedere ad Assisi in un giorno

Bella Umbria ringrazia il Sig. Massimo Eugenio Micanti, del Centro Restauro Terni, per la collaborazione nella realizzazione di questo articolo.

At the end of a rectangular place one can find the severe and fascinating front in Romanic Umbrian style, of the Cathedral of San Rufino. As it results from a rock, written in gothic characters and inserted on the wall at the back of the right nave, the building of the church started in 1140, the direct attribution is for the architect Giovanni da Gubbio.

The church is aimed at hosting the remains of Bishop Martyr San Rufino, who predicted the gospel in Assisi during the first half of the IIIrd century and drown in the river Chiascio, it is the third church, in time order, dedicated to the Saint, after the small sacellum of the Vth century and the church of Ugone from the XIth century. The front is vertically divided by pilasters in three parts, corresponding to the three internal naves; horizontally in three zones delimitated by cornices with typical roman arches. In the inferior part, divided in three frames, are presents three portals with arches with lions and griffons. The campanile is the crown of the front, it is built on a robust roman foundation, made of large blocks in travertine. The was already a part of the church of Ugone, but it was smaller.

The part over the cornice with squared archstones was built at the same time as the front, and is in perfect harmony with this last one. The windows of the belfry cage, are dominating four orders of small closed arches aimed at giving a slimmer aspect to the architectonic structure.

Bella Umbria thanks Mr. Massimo Eugenio Micanti, from the Centro Restauro Terni, for the collaboration for the realization of this article.

At the end of a rectangular place one can find the severe and fascinating front in Romanic Umbrian style, of the Cathedral of San Rufino. As it results from a rock, written in gothic characters and inserted on the wall at the back of the right nave, the building of the church started in 1140, the direct attribution is for the architect Giovanni da Gubbio.

The church is aimed at hosting the remains of Bishop Martyr San Rufino, who predicted the gospel in Assisi during the first half of the IIIrd century and drown in the river Chiascio, it is the third church, in time order, dedicated to the Saint, after the small sacellum of the Vth century and the church of Ugone from the XIth century. The front is vertically divided by pilasters in three parts, corresponding to the three internal naves; horizontally in three zones delimitated by cornices with typical roman arches. In the inferior part, divided in three frames, are presents three portals with arches with lions and griffons. The campanile is the crown of the front, it is built on a robust roman foundation, made of large blocks in travertine. The was already a part of the church of Ugone, but it was smaller.

The part over the cornice with squared archstones was built at the same time as the front, and is in perfect harmony with this last one. The windows of the belfry cage, are dominating four orders of small closed arches aimed at giving a slimmer aspect to the architectonic structure.

Bella Umbria thanks Mr. Massimo Eugenio Micanti, from the Centro Restauro Terni, for the collaboration for the realization of this article.

At the end of a rectangular place one can find the severe and fascinating front in Romanic Umbrian style, of the Cathedral of San Rufino. As it results from a rock, written in gothic characters and inserted on the wall at the back of the right nave, the building of the church started in 1140, the direct attribution is for the architect Giovanni da Gubbio.

The church is aimed at hosting the remains of Bishop Martyr San Rufino, who predicted the gospel in Assisi during the first half of the IIIrd century and drown in the river Chiascio, it is the third church, in time order, dedicated to the Saint, after the small sacellum of the Vth century and the church of Ugone from the XIth century. The front is vertically divided by pilasters in three parts, corresponding to the three internal naves; horizontally in three zones delimitated by cornices with typical roman arches. In the inferior part, divided in three frames, are presents three portals with arches with lions and griffons. The campanile is the crown of the front, it is built on a robust roman foundation, made of large blocks in travertine. The was already a part of the church of Ugone, but it was smaller.

The part over the cornice with squared archstones was built at the same time as the front, and is in perfect harmony with this last one. The windows of the belfry cage, are dominating four orders of small closed arches aimed at giving a slimmer aspect to the architectonic structure.

Bella Umbria thanks Mr. Massimo Eugenio Micanti, from the Centro Restauro Terni, for the collaboration for the realization of this article.

At the end of a rectangular place one can find the severe and fascinating front in Romanic Umbrian style, of the Cathedral of San Rufino. As it results from a rock, written in gothic characters and inserted on the wall at the back of the right nave, the building of the church started in 1140, the direct attribution is for the architect Giovanni da Gubbio.

The church is aimed at hosting the remains of Bishop Martyr San Rufino, who predicted the gospel in Assisi during the first half of the IIIrd century and drown in the river Chiascio, it is the third church, in time order, dedicated to the Saint, after the small sacellum of the Vth century and the church of Ugone from the XIth century. The front is vertically divided by pilasters in three parts, corresponding to the three internal naves; horizontally in three zones delimitated by cornices with typical roman arches. In the inferior part, divided in three frames, are presents three portals with arches with lions and griffons. The campanile is the crown of the front, it is built on a robust roman foundation, made of large blocks in travertine. The was already a part of the church of Ugone, but it was smaller.

The part over the cornice with squared archstones was built at the same time as the front, and is in perfect harmony with this last one. The windows of the belfry cage, are dominating four orders of small closed arches aimed at giving a slimmer aspect to the architectonic structure.

Bella Umbria thanks Mr. Massimo Eugenio Micanti, from the Centro Restauro Terni, for the collaboration for the realization of this article.