St Peter's Cathedral was the former cathedral of Alessandria in Piedmont, Italy, and the bishop's seat of the Diocese of Alessandria. The cathedral was built between 1170 and 1175 and originally stood on the south-eastern side of Platea Maior, today's Piazza della Libertà.

The construction of the cathedral, which started immediately upon the founding of the city itself (on 3 May 1168), marked the beginning of a long architectural and cultural process. The cathedral was demolished one century after its construction owing to the growth in Alessandria's population, and was rebuilt between 1291 and 1297 by the architect Ruffino Bottino. It underwent significant transformations down the centuries: enlargements, renewals and multiple adaptations contributed in modelling its appearance, up until its final demolition between February and July 1803 at the order of Napoleon. The building was deemed unsuitable, indeed "too bulky", in the context of the town's functional reorganization desired by the French emperor.

Though it is no longer standing, St Peter's Cathedral deserves a special attention under the historical and cultural profile. It represented a meeting point between the civic and ecclesiastical interests, reflecting the long history of Alessandria's community. It was one of the main witnesses of the cultural and artistic resources of Alessandria and it narrated, through its own architecture and its vicissitudes, the town's life and transformation.

Reconstruction of the appearance and the history of a lost monument is always a difficult task, especially the earliest periods, for which sources are often incomplete or altered by legends and devotions. The only way to gain an understanding of the cathedral's original appearance is through the surviving iconographies, the accounts of travellers or direct observers, and the detailed descriptions given by the reports of pastoral visits. These documents, though limited, allow one a glimpse of the cathedral's former greatness and importance. St Peter's Cathedral, despite its absence in today's urban scenario, remains a powerful symbol of Alessandria's history and a place of collective memory.

History Historical and geographical context: the founding of Alessandria Between the 8th and the 10th century the area that was to become Alessandria was scarcely inhabited, with the exception of certain royal courts which dated back to ancient settlements: Forum (Villa del Foro), Roboretum (Rovereto), Bergolium (Bergoglio), Marenghum (Spinetta Marengo) and Gamondium (Gamondio, then Castellazzo Bormida).

Moreover, there were some autonomous centres like Solerium (Solero), Quargnentum (Quargnento) and Felizzano. The administrative and political structure of the time did not allow for a significant cultural and social development of the inhabitants. Nevertheless, the latter kept trading among each other, growing in experience and wealth. The aforementioned settlements developed further and grew until they eventually merged and gave birth to the city called Alessandria. It is important to remark that, de facto, Alessandria already existed before its formal foundation, as the villages of that area already had numerous relationships with the bordering territories: purchase and sale of land, alliances and agreements, among which the military and trading pact that Gamondio sealed with the Genoese Republic. Already in its first years, Alessandria profited from its strategic position at the confluence between rivers Tanaro and Bormida.

In the same period, and perhaps even before, some churches were built, among which the most important is that of Santa Maria di Castello in the heart of Rovereto, which is still standing today.

The city of Alessandria was therefore initially founded by the union of Gamondium, Marenghum and Bergolium, as it follows from the text of the 1184 complaints against Cremona of the emperor Frederick Barbarossa, in which the new city's promoters and founders are referred to: "". The three villages were soon joined by Roboretum, Solerium, Forum, Vuilije (Oviglio) and Quargnentum. Economic support came from the Genoese Republic and the communes of the Lombard League, in opposition to the March of Montferrat, the main ally of Barbarossa.

Alessandria was in practice born all of a sudden, but in a context of illegality, as its foundation had neither been authorized nor approved by the Holy Roman Empire. The city also emerged in violation of the rights of the marquis of Montferrat, occupying territories that were theoretically in his possession with no legal basis. Alessandria's condition was complex even in the regards of the Church, as it could not constitute itself as a unique community of believers under the jurisdiction of the Holy See. The newly established city was a mix of civic groups, each of which maintained its parish and diocese affiliations, according to the place of origin. The ecclesiastical problems eventually turned out to be very sensitive, as the borders of five ancient dioceses merged in the area of Alessandria, each of them claiming rights and possession of important religious entities.

Brother James of Acqui states, in his Chronica Aquensia: "[...] ".

The official date of foundation of Alessandria is 3 May 1168, even though by that time the city was already well defined in topographical, urbanistic and administrative terms.

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