Erected in 1099 in the place where previously an early Christian church and the sepulchre of San Geminiano stood - whose body was solemnly transported to the cathedral on 30 April 1106 in the presence of the countess Matilde di Canossa - it was consecrated by Pope Lucius III on 12 July 1184. Designed by the architect Lanfranca, it is entirely covered with white marble and adorned with numerous sculptures. Remarkable are the reliefs on the façade with the Stories of Genesis made by Wiligelmo, as are the sculptures which adorn the central door. On the southern side there are the Principi door (by the school of Wiligelmo) and the Regia door (work of the Campionese Masters). The Pescheria door opening on Via Lanfranco has an archivolt sculpted with depictions of the Breton chivalresque cycle and the allegories of the months on the sides of the portal. The interior is basilican with three naves and presbytery, accessed through two staircases, and a crypt underneath. At the end of the central nave, the ambo and the pulpit stand out with the sculptures by the Campionese Masters dating back to the 12th and 13th century. Among the works preserved in the cathedral, the 15th century choir stalls with wooden inlays made by the Lendinaras can be admired, and in the crypt, the terracotta group created by Guido Mazzoni for the Porrini family around 1480.
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