Cattedrale di Santa Croce

The cathedral has very ancient origins, but the building you see is largely the result of 19th-century reconstruction, completed around 1841 with its neoclassical columned façade. Traces of the mediaeval church remain and, above all, the tradition: the city has always brought its prayers and celebrations here.

The heart of the cathedral is the chapel of the Madonna del Fuoco, patron saint of Forlì. It is a simple woodcut on paper, one of the oldest known prints in Europe, which in 1428 remained intact in a fire that destroyed the school where it hung. The chapel was built to house it, with the dome frescoed in the 17th century by Carlo Cignani: work that took almost twenty years.

Every 4th February, Forlì celebrates its Madonna with a procession, market stalls and the sweet piadina 'della Madonna del Fuoco'. It is the best day to feel the soul of the city, but also the busiest.

Today the cathedral only opens during Sunday morning masses: enter discreetly and take advantage of the minutes after the service to admire the chapel and Cignani's dome.