La Cattedrale di Osimo e i fragmenta dei suoi arredi liturgici (VIII-XIII secolo)

Abstract

The paper aims to reconsider the fragments of liturgical furnishing related to the Cathedral of Osimo, in the nearby of Ancona. The sculptures cover a wide chronological range, from the 8th to the 13th century and are today decontextualized. In this respect, the article tries to reassess and analyze different phases of the cathedral’s re-building and re-furnishing by considering the fragments of sculptures and their possible function. After a first part dedicated to partially-known Lombard and Carolingian fragments, the paper focuses on the pulpit, dating to the first decades of Duecento, whose parts are preserved in the Cathedral museum. The intention is to suggest its original position in the late-Romanesque building by considering the different altars and the liturgical topography of the church, thanks to historical sources and to some comparisons with similar situations in Central Italy. In this light, the paper represents a first step in a Cathedral’s deep reconsideration, both from an architectural and a sculptural point of view.