Volto Santo in Lucca: Temple Restoration Unveils Medieval Chapel

A significant restoration phase has concluded at Lucca's Cathedral of San Martino, focusing on the interior of the Renaissance tempietto that safeguards the ancient Volto Santo crucifix. Designed by Matteo Civitali between 1482 and 1484, this restoration has unveiled critical historical layers, merging the medieval origins with its Renaissance transformation, and shedding new light on the celebrated 9th-century wooden crucifix—a pivotal symbol of Lucca and one of the oldest and best-preserved in the Western world. While the crucifix itself is undergoing restoration until 2025, attention shifted to its magnificent housing, allowing for a fresh understanding of the building's historical stratification and the original context of one of medieval Europe's most widespread cults.

The project was a collaborative effort, spearheaded by the Ente Chiesa Cattedrale di San Martino, with crucial co-financing from the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca and the Opera del Duomo. Scientific oversight for the painted surfaces was provided by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure di Firenze, under the general supervision of the Soprintendenza.

Following the exterior's restoration (completed between 2010 and 2016), the recent focus shifted indoors. This interior work brought to light previously unknown features, conclusively confirming the existence of an earlier medieval chapel *within* the 15th-century edifice. The careful removal of later additions and subsequent cleaning unveiled a polychrome mural on the rear wall: a prominent ochre cross, created using fresco techniques with dry embellishments, designed as the original background for the Volto Santo. Surrounding the cross are vegetal patterns and asymmetrical designs reminiscent of medieval Lucchese textiles.

Additionally, fragments of the original, mostly lost, Renaissance decoration came into view, including draperies, hands clutching scrolls, and partially decipherable inscriptions alluding to Old Testament figures. Investigations within the dome's drum further exposed a painted decoration attributed to an artist within Civitali's workshop, characterized by candelabras, cherubs, and golden accents, which had been concealed by subsequent fake marble applications.

These comprehensive investigations were largely facilitated by a unique circumstance: the absence of the Volto Santo crucifix itself. Since December 2022, the crucifix has been undergoing its own restoration, an event that, likely for the first time since Civitali's era, permitted direct and thorough access to the tempietto's architecture and interior surfaces, enabling the use of advanced diagnostic techniques.

As an extraordinary opportunity, the tempietto, still temporarily without the Volto Santo, will be open to the public from March 28 to May 3, 2026. This allows visitors to witness firsthand the discoveries from the restoration. Following this period, the crucifix will be reinstalled, a process expected to finish by June 2026. The Cathedral Authority is also exploring options to ensure these newly revealed decorations remain accessible for viewing in the long term.