Duomo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Duomo is a generic Italian term for a cathedral church. The formal word for a church that is presently a cathedral is cattedrale; a Duomo may be either a present or a former cathedral (the latter always in a town that no longer has a bishop nor therefore a cathedral, as for example Trevi). Such churches are usually referred to simply as "Il Duomo" or "The Duomo", without regard to the full proper name of the church.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "duomo" is ultimately derived from the Latin word "domus," meaning house, as a cathedral is the "house of God," or "domus Dei."
Italian cathedrals are often highly decorated and contain notable artworks; in many cases the buildings themselves are true artworks. Perhaps the best known Duomo is Milan's Cathedral, but other well-known cathedrals include Alba, Ancona, Mantua, Parma and Florence's Santa Maria del Fiore. Other notable examples are in Cremona, Enna, L'Aquila, Modena, Monreale, Naples, Orvieto, Padua, Piazza Armerina, Pisa (the Leaning Tower is its campanile, bell-tower), Prato, San Gimignano, Siena, Spoleto, Turin and Viterbo.
