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Orte Cathedral

building in Orte, Italy

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionNov 1, 2024
Entity authorityQ2942564
Source-derived summary

Orte Cathedral or the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, Orte (Italian: Duomo di Orte; Basilica Concattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta), is the main Roman Catholic church of Orte, located in front of the Piazza della Libertà, in the province of Viterbo, region of Lazio, Italy. It is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It was the episcopal seat of the bishops of Orte, which in 1437 was united aeque principaliter with the diocese of Civita Castellana, and merged into it in 1986; it is now a co-cathedral. It is an immemorial minor basilica.

History

A church existed on the site by the 9th century. By the 18th century, despite some refurbishments, it was in need of reconstruction. In 1721, the church was reconsecrated after bring rebuilt by the architects Castrachini and Bizzacchero, maintaining the same layout, with a nave in a late-Baroque style. The single nave is flanked by solid rows of pilasters leading to a crossing topped by a small dome, and a semicircular apse. The white marble west front with decorative volutes was added in 1898 - 1901.

The interior is notable for a main altarpiece of the Virgin in Glory and Holy Martyrs (1752) by Giuseppe Bottani.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Orte Cathedral” as building in Orte, Italy. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Orte, Cathedral and building.

Editorial reviewMost useful as a place-based finding aid connecting the present description to earlier jurisdictions, maps and built evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1437, 1986, 1721, 1898—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Orte, Cathedral and building providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Orte Cathedral”, the useful work is to connect “building in Orte, Italy” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 1, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q2942564. Authority coordinates are 42.461, 12.385. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1437, 1986, 1721 and 1898.

Critical limits

Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Orte Cathedral”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Orte Cathedral primary sources, Orte Cathedral archive and Orte research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Orte Cathedral”?
  2. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
  3. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Orte Cathedral” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.