Nardò Cathedral
The Cathedral of Nardò or the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption ( Italian Basilica Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta ) is a church in the southern Italian town of Nardò , Apulia . The cathedral of the diocese of Nardò-Gallipoli is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and has the rank of minor basilica . The originally Romanesque church was redesigned several times after earthquakes and received a baroque facade.
history
Half-columns from an early Christian predecessor church are still preserved and visible without any written sources. Under Norman rule , the church of a Benedictine abbey was built in 1088 . Around 1249 an altar of Maria de Nerito was erected in the apse of the right aisle, traces of the frescoes have been found. The arches to the north aisle were probably rebuilt in a Gothic style after an earthquake . The floor was raised 40 centimeters. In the second half of the 13th century the church tower was built, the choir was redesigned and enlarged to twenty choir stalls.
In the 14th century the tower was integrated to enlarge the church, which also received a new facade. From 1380 on, various side chapels and altars were added, which were later redesigned in the 17th century. At the end of the century, Pope Clement VII raised the abbey church to a cathedral in 1387, which was achieved in 1401 by Pope Boniface IX. revised before becoming a permanent cathedral in 1413.
In the middle of the 15th century, after earthquakes, new stabilization measures had to be carried out on the pillars and arches, after which they were painted with frescoes. At the beginning of the 18th century, the architect Ferdinando Sanfelice carried out a comprehensive Baroque renovation with a new facade, main altar and renovation of the side chapels. In 1743 the town of Nardò, including the church, was badly damaged by an earthquake. The church tower, which was then rebuilt, fell into the left nave after a lightning strike in 1815.
From 1892 to 1899, when restorations were necessary, the baroque stucco was removed and a medieval-style interior with frescoes was created in the Romanesque-Gothic style.
The church was declared a national monument in 1879 and was given the rank of minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1980 .
Building
The baroque facade of the Norman-Romanesque church rises behind a small forecourt. The basilica is on both sides six arches on square pillars into three naves divided, while the arches are designed Gothic pointed to the left aisle, were the roughly built on the right side. All three naves are closed with apses, the apses of the aisles are designed as chapels. The roof of the nave is made with beamed ceilings , only the choir and the adjacent apse chapels have a cross vault . Next to the altar are the walnut choir stalls from 1590. The numerous fragmentary fresco cycles from the 13th to 15th centuries are an essential part of the interior design. An important crucifix of Cristo Nero hangs on the left side wall. The Byzantine cedar cross is said to come from the older Basilian church. According to legend, it was damaged during a Saracen attack, and the bleeding little finger is said to have frightened the Saracens.
Web links
- Official website of the cathedral (Italian)
Individual evidence
- ^ Basilica Cattedrale di S. Maria Assunta on gcatholic.org
- ↑ History of the Cathedral (Italian)
- ↑ Chiesa Maria Santissima Assunta (Italian)
- ↑ Andreas Haller: Apulienreiseführer . Müller, 2018 ( limited preview in Google Book Search).
Coordinates: 40 ° 10 ′ 47.6 ″ N , 18 ° 1 ′ 48.4 ″ E