The Secret Word

Play along with us as you learn more about the history of the Cathedral!
Look for all six QR codes scattered on the path around the Cathedral and listen to the audio all the way through.
You’ll be asked a question at the end of each track. Find the correct answer and memorise the first letter of each one.
You’ll need all six letters to form the Secret Word. If you can figure it out, a special prize awaits you at the Cathedral Museum Bookshop!

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2. The Foundation Legend

Do you feel like you’re being observed? On the right side of the main door, a wolf and an ox have been watching passers-by for centuries. What are they doing there? Well, they’re co-stars of the legend that narrates how the Cathedral was founded.
In 1071, the pope sent the Bishop of Anagni, Pietro da Salerno, to Constantinople, where he miraculously healed Emperor Michael the 7th through the intercession of Saint Magnus. The Emperor’s substantial donations, given as a reward, allowed Pietro to continue with the Cathedral’s construction until its completion in 1104. But reaching this goal wasn’t so easy: it’s said that two oxen yoked to a cart were needed to move the large blocks of stone to the construction site.
But what if a ravenous wolf ate one of them?
Bishop Pietro prayed to Saint Magnus to intercede, so the wolf was suddenly tamed, coming to work beside the surviving ox to tow the cart until the construction was completed.Not to spoil the legend, but you should know that the relief with the two animal heads predates Bishop Pietro and the Cathedral construction. It can be dated back to around the ninth century, meaning it was part of the older Cathedral’s decoration. So either the sculptures inspired the legend, or it was an older story that was adapted to suit bishop Pietro.
But more importantly, is the bishop depicted anywhere?
Indeed he is! You can see him represented by the painter Lello de Urbe in the evocative crypt of Saint Magnus, entirely frescoed in the first half of the 13th century and now part of the museum.

Ready to answer?
Which animal appears together with the wolf in the legend of the Cathedral?
Remember to memorise the first letter of the answer!