In the center of Livorno, in Piazza Grande is the Cathedral of San Francesco, the main church of the city.

The design of the square was made by Bernardo Buontalenti who placed the Duomo to close one of the sides of the large square. During the decades it was modified several times until the Second World War where, between 1943 and 1944, it was almost completely destroyed by aerial bombardments. In the following years it was rebuilt according to the original structure but in an approximate way; the facade has a very nice colonnade with round arches, when it was rebuilt two more porticoes were added in perspective of the transept.

The apse, completely rebuilt, was transformed by building an exedra place side by side the bell tower.

The interior is a Latin cross with two side chapels: the left one of the Santissimo Sacramento and the one on the right of the Conception of Maria which leads to the baptistery.

Originally, the ceiling was in gilded wood and there were seven paintings inserted; today the latter have been reinserted into a similar structure.

In the Cathedral since 2006 there is the Christ crowned with thorns of Beato Angelico, which is located in the left chapel.

Photo: Lucarelli, Duomo Livorno, CC BY-SA 3.0