Cremona Cathedral sustained severe damage after the city was hit on the afternoon of Friday, August 28, by a violent storm accompanied by a tornado and hail. The severe weather, which struck the city after 4 p.m., caused widespread damage in various parts of the historic center and the surrounding area. The top of one of the turrets on the facade of Cremona Cathedral collapsed. Fortunately, the collapse did not result in any injuries or property damage to people or objects in the affected area at the time. The force of the hail also visibly damaged the glass of the cathedral’s rose window , a feature that had already been struck and promptly repaired following a previous storm that hit the city in July.
As of today, both the Cathedral and the Torrazzo are open to the public, now that the affected areas have been secured by the appropriate staff. Damage was also reported at the bishop’s palace, where window panes were shattered, particularly in the section above the archway connecting Piazza Sant’Antonio Maria Zaccaria with Via Platina: the passageway has been temporarily closed to both pedestrian and vehicular traffic pending further inspections.
The severe weather did not spare the ecclesiastical heritage scattered throughout the region either: several parishes in the diocese have reported damage to their buildings, and a comprehensive assessment of the situation is currently underway to identify all necessary inspections and safety measures to be carried out in the coming days.
Next to the Cathedral, severe damage was also reported at City Hall—located directly across from the Cathedral—and particularly to its Civic Tower. Debris from the upper part of the tower fell onto the square below and was temporarily piled up next to the Baptistery.
In terms of the physical consequences of the event, reports indicate that about ten people were injured as a result of the storm that struck the city. Some people were trapped inside their cars, crushed by trees that had been uprooted by the strong winds. The storm was not limited to the city center: the Oltrepò Pavese area also experienced heavy hailstorms that struck the vineyards—right in the middle of the grape harvest—with potential repercussions for local wine production.
The mayor of Cremona, Andrea Virgilio, commented on the incident in a post on his Facebook profile: “The storm that hit Cremona,” he said, “was much more violent than the one about a month ago, and the damage, unfortunately, is significantly more extensive. We’re not just talking about fallen trees and branches: this time, we’re also seeing significant damage to buildings. The city hall tower has been heavily damaged, as has the Cathedral, in addition, of course, to several private homes. Right now, we are all out in the field, together with technicians, the local police, Civil Protection, and everyone involved in the response efforts. There are still critical situations on the roads, with slowdowns and traffic jams, so we ask everyone to exercise caution when traveling and, where possible, to avoid the areas where rescue operations are underway. The priority now is to ensure the safety of people, roads, and buildings and to get an accurate picture of the damage.”
In addition to the Cathedral and the Civic Tower, the Ponchielli Theater—one of the city’s cultural landmarks—is also among the buildings affected by the severe weather, joining the long list of public and private structures damaged by the violent storm.
Despite the severity of the damage sustained by the city’s historical and architectural heritage, the Museum Complex of the Diocese of Cremona has announced that the Diocesan Museum, the Torrazzo, and the Baptistery remain open to the public as usual, while the Cathedral continues to be accessible to the faithful for both personal prayer and participation in liturgical celebrations, since the areas actually affected by the damage have already been secured. The statement released by the Museum Complex emphasizes that, in a city still grappling with the aftermath of the violent storm that struck the previous day, the purpose of these updates is to discreetly support the city’s community during these challenging times. The same diocesan sources have also urged the public to exercise particular caution when traveling around the city and to carefully follow the instructions provided by the relevant authorities, at a time when various areas of the historic center are still undergoing inspections and safety measures following the damage caused by the severe weather.
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| Cremona: Damage to the Cathedral and the Civic Tower After the Storm |
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