The black-and-white bands were an aristocratic privilege, the treasure includes a dish once believed to be the Holy Grail, and in the nave sits a 1941 naval shell that failed to explode.
WherePiazza San Lorenzo, in the heart of Genoa’s old town
Consecrated1118, by Pope Gelasius II. Gothic remodelling in the 13th century
PatronSt John the Baptist, his ashes are kept here
The TreasureMuseo del Tesoro, with the glass Sacro Catino of Grail legend
The bombA British naval shell hit the nave in 1941 and never exploded
Time needed45 minutes, plus the Treasure museum
CATTEDRALE DI SAN LORENZO-CAMPANILE · photo Lisa1963 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
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Genoa & Portofino
Old-port food alleys and the painted riviera towards Portofino.
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Stripes with a meaning
The black-and-white banding of San Lorenzo isn't decoration for its own sake: in medieval Genoa the bichrome stripe was a privilege reserved for the city’s greatest families. On the cathedral it declares that this church belongs to the aristocratic republic itself, the “Superba”, the proud one. The building underneath is Romanesque, consecrated in 1118, given its Gothic face and French-school portals in the 13th century after a fire. The ashes of John the Baptist, the city’s patron, arrived with the Crusades and made it a pilgrimage church.
The Grail dish and the bomb that spared the nave
Down in the Museo del Tesoro is the Sacro Catino, a hexagonal green dish brought back from the Holy Land in 1101, believed for centuries to be carved from emerald and identified by legend with the dish of the Last Supper, the Holy Grail. It is Islamic glass, probably 9th–10th century, and no less fascinating for it. Back upstairs, look for the British naval shell displayed in the right nave: it pierced the roof during a 1941 bombardment and failed to explode. Genoese gratitude keeps it on show.
Cathedral of St. Lawrence (Genoa) · photo Nadia Petkova User:Nadina · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Practical
The cathedral anchors any old-town walk, two minutes from Piazza De Ferrari and the Strade Nuove and Rolli palaces. Entry to the church is free. The Treasure museum is a modest ticket and worth it for the Catino alone. Pair it with lunch in the caruggi, our Genoa guide has the addresses.
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