Gallipoli Cathedral
| Basilica Concattedrale di Sant'Agata di Gallipoli
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| Patronage : | Saint Agatha of Catania |
| Rank: | Basilica minor |
| Address: | Via Duomo 1, Gallipoli |
Coordinates: 40 ° 3 ′ 17.2 ″ N , 17 ° 58 ′ 34.5 ″ E
The Cathedral of Sant'Agata of Gallipoli (Italian: Basilica Cattedrale di Sant'Agata Vergine e Martire ; short: Duomo di Gallipoli ; Latin: Basilica Cathedralis S. Agathæ ) is the co- cathedral of the diocese of Nardò-Gallipoli in Apulia , which was merged in 1986. The church is dedicated to the martyr Agatha of Catania , who is also the patron saint of the city and the whole diocese. 1946 she was by Pope Pius XII. raised to the Basilica pontificia minore , at the suggestion of Bishop Nicola Margiotta. The patron saint of St. Agatha on February 5th is particularly celebrated.
The cathedral is an important testimony to the Lecces Baroque and was built in 1940 by King Victor Emmanuel III for its historical and artistic importance . declared a Monumento nazionale .
history
The Gallipoli region is considered to be one of the oldest dioceses in Italy, a bishopric with titular bishops has existed here since the end of the 6th century (see: Diocese of Gallipoli ). There was probably an ancient temple on the site of the current church , over which the first church was built.
Gallipoli Cathedral was dedicated to St. John Chrysostom ( San Giovanni Crisostomo ) until 1126 , after which it was named after the holy martyr Agatha of Catania after the saint's bosom had been found. The relics of St. Agatha remained in Gallipoli Cathedral from 1126 to 1380; before that (from 1040) they had been in Byzantium . In 1380 the relics of Raimondello del Balzo Orsini , Prince of Taranto , were stolen and secretly brought to the monastery of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Galatina , where they are still located today.
There is conflicting evidence about the original appearance of Gallipoli Cathedral and its history: According to Ravenna, the cathedral was destroyed in 1284 when Charles I of Anjou occupied the city and had it razed to the ground. The inhabitants of Gallipoli fled to neighboring Alezio , where they stayed for almost 100 years and made the church of Lizza their “Cattedrale” and also transferred the title of Sant'Agata to them; Gallipoli Cathedral was probably rebuilt around 1314 along with the rest of the city. However, this theory was questioned by Carlo Massa, who found some documents according to which the total destruction of the place and the cathedral can no longer be considered proven.
What is certain, however, is that the old cathedral was in dire need of repair at the end of the 15th century. Therefore, in April 1485, the university asked the King of Naples , Ferdinand of Aragón , for help. In May 1497 a wing of the old cathedral collapsed and a new petition was written to King Frederick of Naples . As a result, the most necessary repairs were made.
At the beginning of the 17th century, the old building is said to have been so fragile that it was decided to tear it down and build a new church.
The laying of the foundation stone for the new church took place on May 31, 1629 and continued, with many interruptions, until the beginning of the 18th century. The church building u. a. from the estate of the doctor and university professor Giovan Giacomo Lazari and donations from Bishop Consalvo de Rueda and various wealthy families from Gallipoli. The painter Giovanni Andrea Coppola wanted no payment for the altarpiece Martyrdom of St. Agata , but the right of patronage to the side altar of the Assumption of Mary.
The plans for the cathedral were made by the architect Giovan Bernardino Genuino (died 1653 or 1655), the execution was in the hands of Francesco Bischettini, Scipione Lachibari and others. a. From 1667 Tomaso Sanasi directed the construction work; he also designed the new sacristy .
The facade was completed in 1696 under Bishop Antonio Perez della Lastra; the choir room was finished on January 31, 1707 and was inaugurated "with Ambrosian singing ".
The decoration of the interior with paintings continued until the beginning of the 1730s.
description
facade
The famous façade is a masterpiece in the Lecce Baroque style , but unfortunately it can only be seen from close up due to the narrow buildings in the area. The facade bears the date of its completion “AD 1696” and is made of a local tuff of golden yellow color, known in Italy as “ Carparo ”.
Two different style phases can be distinguished on the facade: the earlier, wide lower part is kept in classic, sober shapes and is structured by fluted Doric pilasters . The upper part has Ionic pilasters and is richly ornamented and adorned with floral and other motifs and was probably influenced by the architect Giuseppe Zimbalo from Lecce , who was in Gallipoli in 1683.
The central entrance portal is significantly higher than the two side entrances and is flanked by sculptures of Saints Sebastian and Faustus (left). In the central niche above the portal there is a statue of Saint Agatha , to whom the church is dedicated. The rectangular window in the middle above is framed by rich decoration, to the left and right of it figures of Saints Marina and Teresa . On the very outside, on the edge of the balustrades , the facade is flanked by half-figures of Saints John Chrysostom and Augustine .
inner space
The interior corresponds to the type of a three-aisled basilica in the form of a Latin cross , with a transept and a rectangular choir . The room is 45 m long, 31 m wide and about 30 m high.
The decorative gold-ocher-colored Carparo was also used inside; among other things, the arched arcades to the two side aisles rest on Tuscan columns made of Carparo. An architrave with a sequence of triglyphs and metopes runs above the entire nave , the bas-reliefs of which are decorated with historical, heraldic , religious and symbolic representations.
The colored marble baptismal font to the left of the entrance dates from the beginning of the 18th century; it replaces an older basin by Vespasiano Genuino (1552–1637) from 1588, which was donated to the church of Santa Maria della Lizza in Alezio . In the cathedral there are statues of the two patrons of Gallipoli, Saints Agatha and Sebastian; also the " Madonna dei Fiori " ("Flower Madonna ") and a Maria Addolorata .
The church is adorned with numerous oil paintings, most of which are by the Gallipolitan Giovanni Andrea Coppola (1597–1659) and the Neapolitan painter Nicola Malinconico (1663–1727).
The large painting of the entrance wall, Jesus driving the traders out of the temple, was done by Nicola Malinconico in the 18th century. The paintings on the magnificent gilded coffered ceiling are also by Malinconico: the large picture with the glory of St. Agatha is a kind of replica of his Assumption of Mary in Santa Maria Donnalbina , Naples. The two smaller pictures show Peter visiting St. Agatha in dungeon and the eruption of Aetna, ended by the veil of St. Agatha . The ceiling bears two coats of arms, one is from Bishop Oronzo Filomarini, who had it made at his own expense, and the second from Bishop Gaetano Müller, who had it restored in 1905.
Nicola Malinconico also painted a total of 10 paintings in the attic area between the windows of the nave and on the entrance wall, where he depicted the events of the miraculous discovery of the bosom of St. Agatha on August 8, 1126.
Malinconico painted the ceiling of the angular crossing with the martyrdom of St. Agatha .
Altars on the left
In the side aisles there are four altars on each side.
The first altar on the left is dedicated to St. Isidoro Agricola and bears a painting by Luca Giordano ; this is followed by altars of St. Francesco di Paola and the Epiphany altar (or Adoration of the Magi ) with altarpieces by Giovanni Andrea Coppola.
The following altarpiece of the Madonna delle Grazie (Madonna of Mercy) is one of the main works of the local artist Giovanni Domenico Catalano (1570–1636). The small pictures in the frame are again by GA Coppola.
Altars on the right
Giovanni Andrea Coppola is also the author of three altarpieces in the right side chapels, namely the Altars of the Souls in the Purgatory , the Assumption of Mary (1645) and the Coronation of Mary . The Maria Immaculata on the Altar of the Immaculate Conception is by an unknown artist, some believe it to be the work of a Capuchin monk named Facis, others believe it was painted by a member of the Genuino family.
Transept
In the transept there are the large altars of the two patron saints of Gallipoli, St. Agatha and Sebastian, on the left the altar of St. Agatha with GA Coppola's martyrdom of St. Agatha .
Opposite in the right transept you can see the altarpiece with the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian , the attribution of which is not entirely clear, it was painted either by Nicola Malinconico or by his son Carlo (or by both?).
The smaller pictures on the walls and above the doors of the transept are works by GA Coppola and Carlo Malinconico.
The side chapel in the left transept next to the apse is dedicated to the Madonna del Soccorso. It has a rich decoration of colored marble , the image of the Madonna in the center of the altar is by an anonymous artist. In the chapel there is also the family tomb of the Ravenna and on the walls two large canvases by Nicola Malinconico: the wedding of Mary and Joseph and the flight into Egypt .
To the right of the apse is the sacrament chapel, which is also decorated with polychrome marble. The altarpiece shows the triumph of the Eucharist with St. Thomas Aquinas and John Nepomuk and is signed "Francesco Giordano" (son of Luca Giordano?). Here, too, the side walls are decorated with pictures of Malinconico: on the left the adoration of an old man (?) And on the right the dream of Saul . An inscription indicates the burial place of the bishops of the diocese of Gallipoli.
Choir room
The rectangular choir is slightly raised and decorated with three large paintings by Nicola Malinconico: On the main wall behind the altar the burial of St. Agatha and on the side walls the healing of the paralyzed man in the water basin and the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem .
The paintings in the vaulted ceiling and in the lunettes of the attic are by N. Malinconico (around 1710). In the vault, he depicted several biblical scenes, including the sacrifice of Isaac and Moses pouring water out of the rock . In the lunettes between the windows you can see various scenes of the martyrdom of St. Agatha (all by N. Malinconico).
The main altar with colored Pietradura ornaments is the work of Cosimo Fanzago and was originally intended for the Cappella Filomarini in the Church of Santi Apostoli in Naples. The altar came here at the beginning of the 18th century, at the expense and instigation of Bishop Oronzo Filomarini. The wooden crucifix on the tabernacle is the work of Giovanni Bernardino Genuino.
Additional facilities include the in the apse bishopric and the choir stalls of walnut , which was also carved at the request of Oronzo Filomarini by the German artist Giorgio Aver; it has 51 seats, 25 on the apse wall and 13 each (so a total of 26) on the side walls.
Bells
The cathedral is equipped with four bells . The largest dates from 1744 and weighs about 10 quintals ; the second largest bell from 1856 of 5.75 quintals; the third weighs around 3 quintals and dates from the end of the 19th century. A fourth bell from 1895 weighed 1 quintal and was replaced in 1935 by the current bell by Nicola Giustozzi from Trani .
See also
literature
- Antonio Barbino (ed.): La Chiesa Cattedrale di Gallipoli (= Quaderni degli archivi diocesani di Nardò-Gallipoli. Nuova series 2). Panico, Galatina 1997.
- Antonio Barbino: L'antichissima sede episcopale di Gallipoli. Graphosette, Taviano 1987.
- Elio Pindinelli, Mario Cazzato: Civitas Confraternalis. Le Confraternite a Gallipoli in età barocca (= Biblioteca di cultura pugliese. Series 2, 116). Mario Congedo Editore, Galatina 1997, ISBN 88-8086-207-3 .
Web links
- Website of the parish of the "Basilica Cattedrale di Sant'Agata - Gallipoli" with detailed information, viewed on June 2, 2019 (Italian; main source for this article)
- "Diocesi di Gallipoli - Chiesa di Sant'Agata" on "BewB" , seen on May 31, 2019 (Italian)
- Many photos of the Basilica Cattedrale di Sant'Agata on tripadvisor , seen on May 31, 2019
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h "Diocesi di Gallipoli - Chiesa di Sant'Agata" on "BewB" , seen on May 31, 2019 (Italian)
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Website of the municipality, sub-item “L'Antica Chiesa Cattedrale di Gallipoli” , viewed on May 31, 2019 (Italian)
- ↑ a b Website of the municipality, item "il Tempio", sub-item: "La Reliquia di Sant'Agata" , viewed on May 31, 2019
- ↑ a b c d e f g h History of the “Gallipoli Co-cathedral” on the municipality's website under “Storia della chiesa” , viewed on May 31, 2019 (Italian)
- ↑ a b c d e f Information on the facade of the Gallipoli Co- cathedral on the municipality's website under “La Facciata” , as seen on May 31, 2019
- ↑ a b Information about the choir stalls on the municipality's website under “Il coro ligneo del settecento” , as seen on May 31, 2019
- ↑ Website of the municipality, sub-item “La decorazione dell'architrave: le metope” , viewed on May 31, 2019
- ^ Website of the municipality under "Il Fonte battesimale" , viewed on May 31, 2019
- ^ Website of the municipality, item “il Tempio”, sub-item: “La Statuaria” , viewed on May 31, 2019
- ^ Website of the municipality, point: "il Tempio", sub-point: "Gesù che scaccia i profanatori del tempio" , viewed on May 31, 2019
- ↑ a b c Website of the municipality, sub-item “La Gloria di S. Agata” , viewed on May 31, 2019
- ↑ Website of the municipality, sub-item: "Il ritrovamento della mammella di S. Agata" , viewed on May 31, 2019
- ^ Website of the municipality, sub-item “Il martirio di S. Agata” , viewed on May 31, 2019
- ↑ a b c d e f g On the website of the parish you can find detailed descriptions of each individual altarpiece in the side chapels under “il Tempio” , as seen on May 31, 2019
- ↑ Website of the municipality, sub-item “Le tele del transetto” , viewed on May 31, 2019
- ↑ a b Website of the municipality, sub-item: “Altare della Madonna del Soccorso” , as seen on May 31, 2019
- ↑ Congregation website, subsection: "Altare del SS. Sacramento," as viewed May 31, 2019
- ↑ a b Website of the municipality, sub-item: “Le Tele del Coro” , viewed on May 31, 2019
- ↑ a b Information on the high altar of the Gallipoli co-cathedral on the municipality's website under: “L'Altare maggiore” , as viewed on May 31, 2019
- ^ Website of the municipality, item “il Tempio”, sub-item: “Le Campane” , as seen on May 31, 2019