Detail of the façade of the Cathedral of Saint Martin, with bas-reliefs and marble inlays of various colors. The bas-reliefs depict the months of the year as farmers. July threshes the grain, August harvests the fruit, September presses the grapes in the vat, October draws the wine from the barrel, November plows the fields with two oxen, and December slaughters the pig. Above are bas-reliefs depicting the stories of Saint Martin. On the left, Saint Martin heals a possessed man lying in his bed, cared for by three women. A small devil emerges from his mouth. Two friars assist Saint Martin.

The Museum and Archaeological Complex of Lucca Cathedral

The Museum and Archaeological Complex of Lucca Cathedral is spread across three different areas of great historical significance for the city.

La Cathedral of St. Martin, the centre of Lucca's spirituality, founded in the 6th century and which became a cathedral in the 8th century in place of the ancient Church of San Giovanni and Santa ReparataLeaning against the richly decorated portico stands the 60-meter-high bell tower with seven bells. The cathedral houses masterpieces of art and beauty: the famous funerary monument of Ilaria del Carretto sculpted by Jacopo della Quercia, the Last Supper by Tintoretto, the Sacred Conversation by Ghirlandaio, the altarpiece depicting the Madonna and Child by Fra Bartolomeo and the most precious and revered treasure, the Holy Face, the oldest wooden crucifix in the West that has survived to the present day.

Il Cathedral Museum which collects the rich artistic heritage of the cathedral. The site chosen to house the valuable collection of works is a complex of several historic buildings, including a 13th-century tower house and the 16th-century Oratory of San Giuseppe. In the rooms, visitors can admire ancient choir books and illuminated manuscripts, the precious jewels of the Holy Face in gold, diamonds, and precious stones, the ivory diptych of Areobindus, consul in Constantinople in 506, the 13th-century Limoges enamel reliquary, the painted leather casket from the late 14th century, the large statue of the Apostle by Jacopo della Quercia, and the Pisani Cross, a masterpiece of 15th-century goldsmithing.

Il monumental and archaeological complex of the church of San Giovanni and Santa Reparata, which ideally retraces the history of Lucca from its Roman foundation to the Middle AgesAdjacent to the Romanesque church, completed in 1187, is the large Baptistery with its monumental late-14th-century vault. Below lies an interesting archaeological area, accessible by walking along long metal walkways. This hidden space protects evidence of the city's long history: the remains of a Roman domus with its characteristic mosaic floor, the ancient structures of the first cathedral and the baptistery from the late antique period (4th century), Lombard tombs from the 6th century, and the 9th-century crypt.