San Leo - Duomo

San Leo, a small town about 35 kilometers southwest of Rimini, borders the small state of San Marino, as does Verucchio (prev. upload).

The town was under the rule of the Lombards since 568. The first bishop mentioned was called Agathus and in 826 he took part in a bishops' meeting in Rome. The Lombard Duke Orso resided here since 885. In the dispute between the German king Otto I and his rival Berengar II who held court here between 962 and 963, the latter was besieged by Otto I and forced to surrender. He was then taken prisoner to Bamberg, where he died.

In 1155 Montefeltrano I the first member of the noble family of Montefeltro, is mentioned in San Leo. In 1226, Emperor Frederick II granted two of his descendants the County of Urbino, which included the town and its surroundings. After battles between the Montefeltro and the Malatesta of Rimini, from 1441 the town belonged again to the original lords.

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The rocky site on which the cathedral stands was used since prehistoric times for the worship of deities. The construction of the first early medieval cathedral took place in the seventh century when San Leo became the seat of a diocese.

The remains of the first church are integrated into the present Longobard structure.

Originally the cathedral did not stand isolated but was flanked by the bishop's palace, the seat of the canons, the hospital, the sacristy, and probably the baptistery. These buildings formed for several centuries the cathedral quarter, a kind of religious, probably fortified citadel.

The entrance is located on one side and not on the facade, which is located on a steep rocky slope. Like most buildings here, the cathedral has no foundations, since it rests directly on the rock.

Some of the capitals look pretty archaic. They were probably created for the predecessing church.