In the local Romanesque style, the Cathedral is laid out in a Lain cross with a triumphal arch connecting the nave with the transept. The massive façade is divided into three parts by vertical pilasters. The rose window is decorated with animals on pillars. Unusual are the side walls of the nave and aisles that are embellished by a sequence of sextuple lancet windows on top of huge arches. The movement of the forms gives the construction a lightness that is uncommon in such religious buildings. Inside, a trap door covered by a transparent glass offers a view of part of a mosaic floor portraying a winged griffin, likely evidence of the existence of an earlier pre-Romanesque cathedral.
A Brief History:
The project inspired by the Basilica of Saint Nicholas of Bari, including the internal decorations of the crypt and the capitals of the nave and the women’s galleries, began in the mid-XII century. The façade was built by different workers, who added an archivolt on the middle portal and figures on the lintel and the lunette. In the eighteenth century, it was covered in baroque decorations and stuccoworks that were removed one century later by the conservative restoration works that brought it back to its original appearance. The last arcade on the right side of the cathedral matches the door from which Pope Gregory IX excommunicated Frederick II, accusing him of having compromised with sultan Al Kamil during the 1227 crusade.
Main Works:
Outstanding are the capitals with mythological subjects, as well as animals and flowers. The most interesting one is the one that portrays Charles the Great’s flight, chiefly for its resemblance to the mosaics of Otranto, Taranto and Trani; the 1229 ambo is by master Nicolaus.
Style:
Substantially consistent Romanesque forms and decorations.
Sources: By the editorial staff Updated on: 30/06/2010
Project created in collaboration with InnovaPuglia.
Regione Puglia
Regione Puglia