Carpi Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Carpi; Basilica cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Carpi, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It is the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Carpi. It stands on the site of a mediaeval pieve dedicated to Mary.
The original church was built by King Aistulf in 756.[1] Construction on the present building began around 1514,[2] predating the establishment of the diocese here in 1779 by over 250 years. The church was designed by Baldassare Peruzzi under his patron Alberto III Pio, Prince of Carpi.[3]
With the creation of the diocese in 1779, the cathedral was assigned a Chapter, which was to consist of four dignities (the Archpriest, the Archdeacon, the Provost, and the Dean) and seventeen Canons.[4] The first bishop was Francesco Benincasa.
The cathedral has a Baroque facade and a Latin cross floorplan.
It was granted the status of a minor basilica in 1979, on the occasion of the bicentenary of the establishment of the diocese.[5]
The building was seriously damaged during the earthquakes that struck in 2012. After restoration work it was reopened for worship on 25 March 2017 with a solemn ceremony led by Cardinal Pietro Parolin.[6] The restoration included in the installation of a new lighting system.[3]