Rieti - Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta

In the late period of the Roman Republic Reate (= Rieti) was a thriving city. In the imperial period, the place was made a municipium and Emperor Vespasian, whose family lived in Reate, settled veterans here.

Rieti has been the seat of a bishop since around 500 AD. After the fall of the Roman Empire, it first came under the rule of the Goths, then in the second half of the 6th century under that of the Lombards. The Saracens devastated the city in the 9th century. King Roger II of Sicily had the city destroyed in 1149. Later Rieti became a free commune and always pursued a policy loyal to the pope. In 1239, soldiers of Emperor Friedrich II devastated the city. After the transfer of the Pope's seat to Avignon, Rieti was under the influence of the King of Naples, while internal fighting between the Ghibellines and the Guelphs broke out in the city.

The existence of the Diocese of Rieti was first documented at the end of the 5th century. A first cathedral must have existed a little later because in 598 the Bishop of Spoleto was commissioned to keep relics of various martyrs in the cathedral of Rieti. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the popes often stayed in Rieti. For this reason, the early medieval building was completely rebuilt in a larger and more modern form in the 12th century. An inscription commemorates the laying of the foundation stone in 1109. The cathedral was consecrated in 1225 by Pope Honorius III.

The original Romanesque style was completely lost inside when baroque began.