HISTORY
The Cathedral of Fidenza sits at the center of an old medieval piazza, dedicated to the martyr San Donnino , one of several stops that a pilgrim completed along the Via Francigena to reach Rome. Scholars still debate the various constructive phases of the church, most likely built on the remains of a parish church of the 5th century. The three-aisled basilica seems to date to the 11th century, that is, prior to the intervention of Benedetto Antelami, who, together with his workshop, planned the façade, while the apse and the lateral chapels are from the 13th and 16th century, respectively. The Chapel of the Madonna della Ferrata and the campanile are from the 16th century.

ART-HISTORICAL NOTES
The Duomo of Fidenza has a gabled façade framed by twin towers. The lower part of the incomplete façade has three portals with elaborate porches. The central entrance portal is the sculptural work of Antelami, characterized by a two-story projecting porch with column-bearing lions. Inside the porch, the portal is decorated by column clusters and a stepped archivolt. To either side are the minor portals, with subtly projecting porches, probably completed by Lombard workshops.
The Cathedral is a three-aisled, slender structure with compound piers, a tribune and quatrefoil windows. The nave culminates in a raised choir close to the crypt.  The lower part of the church is from the 12th century, and many scholars consider it to have been the project of Lanfranco, architect of the Cathedral of Modena. The four lateral chapels are from the 16th century.
The oldest part of the Cathedral is the crypt, consisting of two rows of five columns each, topped with Romanesque and Gothic capitals, dividing the space into three aisles. One of the more interesting capitals is of Daniel in the lions’ den.