The Cathedral of San Lorenzo (Saint Lawrence) or Genoa Cathedral is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the historical center of Genoa.
It is located in piazza/ via San Lorenzo in the heart of the Old Town, near the Porto Antico (Ancient Port) and the Aquarium of genoa and a short walk from Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale). San Lorenzo, surrounded by beautiful buildings (the most included in the two seventeenth-century lists of Rolli), is an excellent starting point to visit the alleys of Genoa (go to the route).
It was built starting from the 9th century and canonised by Pope Gelasius II in 1118. The construction of the Cathedral of Saint Lawrence, as always happens for such impressive works, lasted for centuries and this explains the juxtaposition of different styles. The façade, characterized by Gothic portals and the alternation of black and white (marble and slate) typical of the Genoese Middle Ages, was completed in 1312. The last addition in chronological order are the two lions on either side of the staircase which date back to 1840.
Inside are kept the ashes of the patron saint of Genoa San Giovanni Battista and works of art including the seventeenth-century frescoes by Lazzaro Tavarone. It is also possible to visit the towers (more info here) and, in the suggestive underground rooms, the Museo del Tesoro.
