“ Begun by the Countess Matilda of Tuscany in 1099, after the designs of Lanfranc, and consecrated in 1184, the Romanesque cathedral (S Geminiano) is a low, but handsome building, with a lofty crypt, under the choir (characteristic of the Tuscan Romanesque architecture) , three eastern apses, and a façade still preserving some curious sculptures of the 12th century. ”

“ The 4th century found Mutina in a state of decay; the ravages of Attila and the troubles of the Lombard period left it a ruined city in a wasted land. In the 7th century, perhaps owing to a terrible inundation [1] its exiles founded, at a distance of 4 m. to the north-west, a new city, Città Geminiana (still represented by the village of Cittanova) ; but about the close of the 9th century Modena was restored and refortified by its bishop, Ludovicus. When it began to build its cathedral (A.D. 1099) the city was part of the possessions of the Countess Matilda of Tuscany ”

“ MODENA (ancient Mutina) , one of the principal cities of Emilia, Italy, the chief town of the province of Modena and the seat of an archbishop, 31 m. E.S.E. of Parma by rail. Pop. (1906) , 26,847 (town) ; 66,762 (commune) . It is situated in a damp, low plain in the open country in the south side of the valley of the Po, between the Secchia to the west and the Panaro to the east. Some of its main streets (as their names indicate) follow the lines of canals, which still (though now covered) traverse the city in various directions. The observatory stands 135 ft. above the level of the sea. ”