The original building was in the Romanesque style. On the façade stands out a Gothic window overflowing with plant decorations, located lower than the rose window, also Gothic. Inside, the nave and the two aisles are divided by rows of smooth pillars, with capitals of varying shape, style and size, probably from a previously existing Christian church. The Gothic part was added to the Romanesque building, ending in three apses. In this area the church broadens into a trapeze, the aisles here higher than the Romanesque ones. The Gothic choir in which the building ends comprises a large five-sided polygonal apse with the ambulatory on which the side chapels open up.
A Brief History:
The Cathedral was built on the site of an early Christian basilica of the VI century and an early medieval building of the XI century, both located on the site of a pre-Roman hypogeum. The Romanesque building was consecrated in 1267. At the time of the Crusades, it was used as a post house for the pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land. The Gothic part was added in the XIV century to house the throne, the pulpit and three altars from the destroyed Cathedral of Cannes.
Main Works:
The sculptures that have been put back at the entrance to the vestry, dating back to the primitive Romanesque decoration of the main portal, are interesting, as they are very early examples of good figurative portraits in XII-century Apulia. They probably portray The Last Supper.
Style:
The building is composite in style: Romanesque and Gothic.
Sources: By the editorial staff Updated on: 09/09/2011
Project created in collaboration with InnovaPuglia.
Regione Puglia
Regione Puglia