Ariano Irpino Cathedral

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Facade of the cathedral

The Cathedral of Ariano Irpino , also Cathedral of the Assumption ( Italian Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta ), is a Roman Catholic church in Ariano Irpino in the province of Avellino , Campania in southern Italy . The cathedral of the Diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and the Saints Ottone Frangipane and Elzéar of Sabran, it also bears the title of a minor basilica .

history

The church dates back to the 10th century and was built on the ancient ruins of a temple of Apollo . In 960 it became the seat of the newly founded diocese of Ariano. Over the centuries, the building has suffered repeated earthquakes and looting, resulting in countless repairs and renovations. The only known thing about the original structure is that it was destroyed in an earthquake around 988. The soon-to-be-rebuilt cathedral remained in place until 1255 when Manfred's troops stormed the city walls and destroyed the entire city, including the cathedral, for their allegiance to the papacy. After Manfred fell in battle in 1266, the new King Charles of Anjou had all the places that Manfred destroyed, including Ariano and its cathedral, rebuilt, although it was not completed until 1309. The new building was destroyed by the earthquakes of 1349 and 1456. The then bishop, Orso de Leone, took responsibility for the reconstruction, the remains of which can still be seen in the old crypt and in the lower part of the inner pilasters (now plastered).

The cathedral suffered again from the earthquakes of 1688, 1702 and 1732. After the last of these earthquakes, the then Bishop Filippo Tipaldi completed the new building in 1736 and gave it its present form and structure. In 1984 John Paul II also awarded the cathedral the title of minor basilica. When the diocese of Ariano Irpino merged with the diocese of Lacedonia in 1986, the cathedral remained the seat of the bishop. A renovation was completed in 2019.

Building

The Cathedral of Ariano is a Romanesque building on the plan of a Latin cross, the three-nave church has a transept and a choir , it is roofed with a cross vault . The interior is clad in plaster and stucco in the Baroque style , with the pilasters and arches made of solid stone hidden, leaving no traces of the previous Romanesque and Gothic features.

The Romanesque west facade with a roof gable was built in 1500 from green sandstone by Roseto. The three portals also date from this period, but the rose windows were created later. The building above street level will be reached by a later step arrangement.

Ariano Cathedral has received a single thorn that is believed to have come from Jesus' crown of thorns . It has been transmitted since 1633 that the thorn "bleeds" when Good Friday falls on March 25th. This is the traditional date for both the annunciation and the crucifixion of Christ. Thorn and treasure are still in the diocesan museum near the cathedral today .

Web links

Commons : Cathedral of Ariano Irpino  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Basilica Cattedrale di S. Maria Assunta on gcatholic.org
  2. ↑ La Cattedrale risorta, ad Ariano riapre la Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta. In: irpinianews.it. April 18, 2019, accessed August 4, 2019 (Italian).
  3. ↑ History of the cathedral on the website of the diocese (Italian)
  4. ^ Italy's 'bleeding thorn' marks the coincidence of Good Friday, Annunciation. In: Catholic News Agency. March 25, 2016, accessed August 4, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Michael Hichborn: March 25: The Alpha and the Omega. In: Lepanto Institute. March 22, 2016, accessed August 4, 2019 .

Coordinates: 41 ° 9 ′ 9.4 ″  N , 15 ° 5 ′ 15.4 ″  E