MASSA Marittima, Duomo san Cerbone, for their visit to the Cathedral, granted 40 days of indulgence

(...)The Cathedral was built on uneven ground and the original plan did not foresee such a long building. The project was modified at the end of the XIIIth century and the apse stands upon artificial substructions, which make its view very imposing. The bell tower was partly redesigned in the XXth century and it is now very similar to that of the Cathedral of Siena. The interior is not in keeping, being spoilt by modern additions, and has nothing of interest beyond a very curious font of early date, formed of a single block. Dennis The additions mentioned by Dennis have been almost entirely removed to give the interior its original appearance and highlight the depth of the three naves. The columns are of slightly different height and their plinths and capitals are adjusted to provide an appropriate support to the arches. The lower part of the baptismal font is a large rectangular basin which was made in 1267 by Jacopo, a sculptor from Como, out of a single block of travertine. This stone, typical of Rome, was quarried near Siena. The size of the basin allowed for a baptism of adults by immersion. In 1447 a marble tabernacle was erected at its centre. Its fine reliefs portray Prophets and Patriarchs, but its overall design does not match that of the lower part. The placing of the reliefs inside niches is based on a pattern which was developed in the IInd century AD, mainly for sarcophagi depicting the Twelve Labours of Hercules, see an example in Rome The rapid development of Italian sculpture is testified to by another sarcophagus-type monument which was made in 1324 by Goro di Gregorio, a sculptor from Siena. The personages portrayed inside four lobe frames (a reference to the Cross) are saints, prophets, the Virgin Mary and St. Cerbone. The rectangular reliefs depict episodes of the life of St. Cerbone, some of which are already portrayed on the main portal, but in a more elaborate manner. The body of St. Cerbone was actually moved to Massa in 1600. A 1588 inscription advised the faithful that for their visit to the Cathedral they were granted 40 days of indulgence. The town however was already in a state of great economic decline and few pilgrims visited it as they avoided the unhealthy route along the sea and reached Rome via Siena and Viterbo. The walls of the interior were decorated with frescoes by painters of Siena, but only some fragments of them are still visible. (...) https://www.romeartlover.it/Massa2.html