The cathedral stands on the Piazza of the same name, in the heart of the Upper City: this site was already a place of worship in the fifth century AD, as evidenced by the underground layers.
Inside you’ll find many treasures, such as paintings by Giovan Battista Moroni and Andrea Previtali, Giambattista Tiepolo’s Martyrdom of Saint John the Bishop, an altarpiece by Carlo Ceresa, and inlaid wood and marble works by Andrea Fantoni.
But the most precious testimony you will be able to admire is surely the tiara of Pope John XXIII, now a saint, a native of Sotto il Monte in the province of Bergamo: a glittering gold headdress studded with pearls, rubies, diamonds and emeralds, created by embosser Attilio Nani.
Stored in an urn located on the high altar are the remains of St. Alexander the Martyr, patron saint of Bergamo for whom the cathedral is named.
The story goes that Christianity came to Bergamo with Roman Christian prisoners from the East, condemned to work in the iron mines in the Seriana Valley: the Damnati ad Metalla.
Once enfranchised, they moved and adhered to the cult of St. Vincent of Zaragoza, building several churches, one even there where the Cathedral of Bergamo would later rise.
This first building, dating from the 8th century, remained until the mid-15th century, when the famous Florentine architect Filarete built a new Latin-cross structure.
But Bergamo already had its own cathedral, the one dedicated to St. Alexander, the city’s patron saint: for much of the Middle Ages therefore the two imposing churches rivaled each other, until in 1561 the second was destroyed by the Venetians to build the famous Walls that still encircle Bergamo Alta today.
From then until the present day, the cathedral of St. Vincent took the name of St. Alexander and became the city’s only cathedral.
