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The Tombs
Roman Period:
(II century) THE SARCOPHAGUS OF THE DIOCESE
MUSEUM
This artifact constitutes the most significant testimony to Cortona
in the era of the Roman empire. According to legend it was found
around the year 1247 in a field below the ancient parish church
of Santa Maria, today the Concattredrale of Cortona. Finely worked
in marble from the Apuane. it depicts a battle between Dionysius
and the Amazons in from of the wall of Efeso, maybe referring to
the expedition in Tessaglia. The actual event is uncertain due to
the inability at this moment to identify the other figures.
It is interesting to not the vividness of the figures and there
motion which is accentuated by the torsions of the combatant's bodies.
Dionysius is portrayed on the left with a crown of grapevines on
a chariot driven by a winged woman and two centaurs. On the far
right is a man in a horse dressed in clothing from the orient and
has fallen from his horse in front of the opening to the gateway
of Efeso. There is an adversary standing and holding on the horses
bit. At the center is the battle scene. On the right side of the
sarcophagus there is a standing nude centaur who stabs an adversary
with his spear. his adversary is on the ground and dying yet still
try in vain to defend himself. On the other side there is a combat
scene between two adversaries. The center medallion might be a portrait
of the deceased.
Vasari tells us that Donatello was so impressed by the sarcophagus
that he told Brunelleschi about it when he returned to Florence.
Brunelleschi was so overtaken with enthusiasm that he raced to Cortona
without hesitation to draw it.
Paleochristian period:
(IV century) THE TOMB OF SAINT VINCENT
It is historically proven that a martyrial monument was erected
the tomb of the bishop martyr Vincenzo, martyrized under Diocletian
(303-305), which was successively absorbed by a Paleochristian basilica
as it was demolished in the eighteenth century. We can have an idea
of paleochristian basilica's aspect by studying Piero Berrettini's
map. As far as the tomb at the interior of the basilica goes, we
are left with the archway of the tabernacle which was built over
the martyr's tomb. This archway can be found in the Etruscan Academy
Museum and is delicately worked and decorated and along with other
remnants is conserved in the same museum. This can give us an idea
of the religious and artistic veneration which surrounded the tomb
of bishop Vincenzo in the paleochristian and high Medieval periods.
The Archway has an inscription which names emperor Carlo and probably
refers to Charlemagne.
Medieval Period:
(XIII century) THE TOMB OF BEATIFIED GUIDO
Guido, together with Vito and other Cortonese, among whom (according
to Wadding) was also Elias, was dressed with the Franciscan robes
by Francis himself at the convent of "Le Celle". He lived
a life entirely impressed with the charisma of Saint Francis and
when he died (in 1247 according to Cortonese legend, before 1239
according to Affò) he was buried beneath the main altar of
the parish church of Santa Maria, the present day Concattedrale,
closed in a Roman sarcophagus which had been recently recovered.
The sarcophagus remained under the main altar unto the second half
of the seventeenth century when the altar was completely renovated
by the cortonese architect Francesco Mazzuoli. It was then placed
along with the remains of the saint in the left wall of the transept.
From 1945 the sarcophagus was placed in the Diocese Museum and the
bones of Beato Guido contained within were placed in an urn of pietra
serena which was placed under the last altar of the left wall of
the Concattedrale.
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