Conegliano Cathedral and Sala dei Battuti Historical Timeline

Origins

The church of Santa Maria Nuova was built in the fourteenth century for the Battuti, a lay confraternity of flagellants who ran a hospital and charitable works in the town.

Turning points

The confraternity built its own hall and portico in front of the church rather than beside it, which is why the cathedral ended up with no street frontage of its own -- an unusual arrangement that has survived intact.

Influential people

Giovanni Battista Cima, the town's own painter, delivered his Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints in 1493. It remains in place, which is uncommon for an altarpiece of that quality.

Cultural evolution

The Sala dei Battuti above the portico was frescoed through the sixteenth century with Old and New Testament cycles, largely by Ludovico Pozzoserrato and others working in the Venetian manner.

Present-day significance

The church became a cathedral when the diocese of Vittorio Veneto reorganised, and remains in daily parish use.