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CHAPTER 24
The Italian Influences on
the “Catedral Primada de América
(First Cathedral of the Americas)”
By Esteban Prieto Vicioso
Rector coordinator of the Centro de Altos Estudios Humanísticos y del Idioma Español,
director of the Oficina de la Obra y Museos de la Catedral de Santo Domingo, researcher at UNPHU
any Italians have left their imprint on
the
Catedral de Santo Domingo, Primada de
América (First Cathedral of the Americas).
Some are associated with the history
of the cathedral, its creation and de-
velopment, while others are associated with its
construction and artistic contributions, as well as
its conservation and restoration. The first of these
was Pope Julius II, who in the
Romanus Pontifex
pa-
pal bull of August 8, 1511, created and dedicated it
to Our Lady of the Incarnation.
Pope Julius II was born as Giuliano della Ro-
vere in Albissola near Savona on December 5,
1443, and died in Rome on February 21, 1513, at
69 years of age. He began his papacy on November
26, 1503. He was considered to have been a brave
warrior, earning himself the nickname Julius the
Terrible. The fame associated with his name is pri-
marily due to the reestablishment of the Papal States and the liberation of Italy from its domination by France.
Even so, he did not neglect his duties as the spiritual head of the Church.
1
He was a true aficionado of the
arts, and he commissioned major paintings and sculptures from various renowned artists, including Raphael,
Bramante, and Michelangelo. Among the most prominent are Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel,
as well as the colossal Moses sculpture that embellishes his mausoleum at the San Pietro in Vincoli basilica
.
Following the death of Fray García de Padilla, the first bishop appointed to the recently created diocese of
Santo Domingo, but who never actually governed his see, as he died in Spain prior to undertaking the voyage
to Santo Domingo, Pope Leo X designated by way of papal bull issued on November 23, 1516, the Italian
Alessandro Geraldini as the second bishop of Santo Domingo. He assumed the leadership of the Dominican
Church on October 6, 1519, thus becoming the first resident bishop of Santo Domingo.
2
Alessandro Girolamo Geraldini was born in Amelia, Umbria, Italy, around 1455. He was a diplomat and
a great humanist. According to José Luis Sáez in his
Episcopologio de la Arquidiócesis de Santo Domingo
, Gerald-
ini after serving in the military in Spain became a royal cup-bearer in 1469. Following his ordination to the
•
Bishop Alessandro
Geraldini’s crest on
the south portal of the
cathedral.
© Courtesy of Esteban
Prieto Vicioso