Santa Maria Assunta (Troy)

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Basic data
Patronage : St. Mary
Consecration day :
Address: Via Regina Margherita
71029 Troy
Facade with the famous rose window

Santa Maria Assunta in Apulian Troia was the cathedral of the Diocese of Troia, which was incorporated into the Diocese of Lucera-Troia in 1986 , and has been co- cathedral since then . In 1958 it was also awarded the title of a minor basilica . It is considered to be one of the main works of Apulian Romanesque and is known for its facade with the large rose window . The bronze doors of the main portal and a southern entrance as well as the pulpit inside the church are of high art historical importance.

Location and naming

The church is located in the center of Troia on Via Regina Margherita with the main facade facing northwest facing a small forecourt. It was named after the Assumption of Mary (Italian: Assunzione di Maria ). The name was taken over from a partially integrated previous building.

Building history

The first construction began in the last quarter of the eleventh century, it is mentioned in 1073. The exact start of construction has not been clarified in the end. After excavations in the 1950s, it was thought to be able to recognize that today's transept originally formed the nave of this church, which is also controversial. It is certain that the pillar cores of the two western crossing piers originate from this first phase of construction; the previous church may also have been a central building. The church received its current floor plan in the first quarter of the 12th century as a result of significant additions under Bishop Wilhelm II of Troy. From 1093 he had the current nave built. The construction of today's apse should also take place during this period. From an inscription on the bronze door of the main portal it is known that it was made in 1119. The construction of the nave was apparently largely completed by then. In 1107 the construction of the lower part of the facade began. Other additions, especially in the upper area of ​​the facade, date from the 13th century. The two transept arms and the sacristy were added in their current form in the 17th and 18th centuries, with the outer walls in the eastern transept containing older components. The current bell tower still stands in parts on walls from the 11th century.

Facade and rose window

The rosette, made around 1160 to 1180

The facade of the church is richly designed. The lower part goes back to work from 1107 to 1120, the upper part was redesigned about 100 years later. The rosette was built between 1160 and 1180, but was redesigned from 1229 while retaining the older parts.

The lower part of the facade with a width of 19 meters is divided into seven axes. To the left and right of the main portal, three blind arches structure the facade; they rest on pilasters with different capitals. The middle of the blind arches each contain round windows, while the flanking windows are worked in a diamond shape, the design as diamond windows are based on their model in Santa Maria di Siponto . Like the outer parts of the nave, which also have this basic structure, they are very fine and made using different types of stone. Therefore, the design of the outside of the church as a whole is considered extraordinarily lush for Puglia. The main portal itself is covered by a simple archivolt and contains a relief in the architrave . Jesus Christ is depicted in the center , accompanied by Mary - left - and Peter , right. This is followed by two evangelist symbols , on the outside the city patrons and saints Eleutherius and Secondinus are depicted. The lower edge of the relief contains an inscription Istius ecclesiae per portam materialis introitus nobis tribuatur spiritualis , in translation: "Through the gate of this material church may we be granted the entrance to the spiritual".

The upper part of the facade rising above the richly designed cornice dates back to the upper edge of the rose window from around 1180, the top of the gable and the outer fields of the gable from the changes at the beginning of the 13th century. The rosette is famous, it is considered the most beautiful Apulia. It consists of eleven slender columns placed in the wheel, the open spaces of which are filled with transennes , a very rare form of rosette. All shemales are made differently and sometimes appear oriental. The surfaces of the surrounding border, which is designed in alternation with pointed and round arches, are broken through by three passes. The design of the interior of the two arches spanning the construction is also remarkable. You can see a variety of animals and human figures, including a boy who relieves himself. The arches are supported by double columns that sit on lion figures.

The bronze doors of the main portal, made in 1119

Bronze doors

The doors of the main portal are famous. They were made by one of the most famous bronze foundries of the 12th century, Oderisius von Benevent , according to the inscription they were made in 1119. He worked this, it consists of 28 fields in single panels, in Niellotechnik . The door knockers and the small winged dragon figures are still original. They are considered masterpieces of medieval small sculptures. Other panels, two in the bottom row and above, and all third and fourth rows from the top, were replaced in the 16th and 17th centuries. The four plates in the top row are still the originals. From left to right they show the artist himself, a judging Christ and images of Count Berardus von Sangro and Bishop Wilhelm II. The inscription on the lower four fields reads:

(1) An [n] o ab incarnatio [n] e / d [omi] ni n [o] stri Ie [s] v Xr [is] i mil [e] simo / centisimo nondecimo / indictione dvodecima
(2) Anno pontificat [us] d [omi] ni / Kalisti P [a] p [e] secvndi p [rimo] / ann [o] dvcat [us] W [ilelmi] Rocerii / clo [rio] si dvcis filii nono
(3) Willelmvs secvnd [us] / hui [us] Troiane sedis ep [i] s [copus] / erat svi an [no] XII has / portas fieri fecit / DE PROPRIO ECCLESIAE AERARIO IPSAMQUE FABRICAM A FUNDAMENTIS FERE EXIT

The tablets show that the door was created in 1119 (1), in the first year of the pontificate of Pope Kalixt II and in the ninth year of Duke Wilhelm II of Apulia's reign , son of Duke Roger Borsa (2) and in the twelfth year of the episcopate Bishop Wilhelm II. The fourth field was renewed in the 16th century, the inscription contains a note. The doors became models for the doors of the cathedrals Santa Maria Icona Vetere in Foggia as well as for Santa Maria della Purificazione in Termoli .

The door in the portal on the south side of the cathedral was also made by Oderisius von Benevento. The inscription begins in the top field with the opening: Princeps patronv [m] / Petre Troia [m] suvspice / donv [m], qua [m] leta / bvndvs Gvilelm [us] / dono svndvs , so it reports that Duke Wilhelm the city of Troy gives to the Apostle Prince Peter. Next to it is a picture of the bishop near the city, on the right there are Peter and Paul. The lower eight panels contain images of the eight previous bishops; they are shown clearly individualized. Below the row with the door knockers, again in the shape of a lion, there are eight more panels with inscriptions. They are:

(1) DEI GRATIA VENERERABILIS HUIUS TROIANE SEDIS E [PISCO] P [U] S NONUS
(2) HAS ETIAM PORTAS AENAS DE PROPRIO AERARIO LARGUS DISPENSER FIERI IUSSIT
(3) ANNO • C • ATQUE VIII PONTIFICATUS VERO D [OMI] NI HONORII [P] A [P] E SEC [UN] DI III ITEM PONTIFICATUS D [OMI] NI
(4) SALERNI OBIIT MORTE CO [M] MUNI T [UN] C TROIANUS POP [U] L [U] S PRO LIBER [T] ATE TUENDA
(5) EQUITATIS MODERATOR LIBERATOR PATRIAE DOMNUS GUILLELMUS SECU [N] D [US]
(6) ANNO INCARNATIO [N] IS D [OMI] NICAE MC ET XX VII A CITIVATIS HUIUS FONDATIONE
(7) GUILLELMI E [PISCO] P [I] SEC [UN] DI XXI INDIC [TIONE] V ANNO QUO [GUILIELMUS TERTIUS NORMANDORUM DUX]
(8) ARCEM SUBVERTIT ET URBEM VALLO MURISQ [UE] MUNIVIT

The reading order is 1/5; 2/6; 3/7 and 4/8. The point is that Bishop Wilhelm reminds that after the death of Duke Wilhelm, the population of the city of Troy tore down the castle to save their freedom and provided the city with walls and moats, a rather anti-Norman statement. The bishop himself is celebrated as a refuge of equity and the liberator of the fatherland.

The design of the door itself is much simpler than the doors of the main portal. According to one assessment, it lacks the rigid liveliness and imaginative diversity of those doors.

Side facades and apse

The side facades are designed with a continuous row of blinds. They sit on pilasters and contain square windows that are rotated ninety degrees, alternating with arched windows and empty spaces. The northern side is considered to be more successful because the capitals here are more developed than on the south side and the blind arches are partially decorated with reliefs.

The tympanum of the north side portal contains the relief of Christ between two angels above a richly decorated architrave. The type of execution points to Byzantine models.

The design of the outside of the apse is remarkable. It is semicircular and consists of very deep blind arcades formed by stacked columns. Capitals and bases are richly designed with animal and human figures and foliage. The apse window rests on lion figures. It is assumed that the columns and capitals are loot that Robert Guiskard took from Bari and gave to the city of Troy as a gift in 1073.

Heart and pulpit

The interior of the cathedral is dominated by the high central nave. The high walls rest on pillars between arcades. They have different capital forms, mostly of the Corinthian order. The first pillar on the south side is designed as a double column, the only one in the church. The church has no ceiling, so the structure of the roof is visible above the strong corbels . The nave is not completely symmetrical, the central axis bends a few degrees to the north in the crossing, recognizable by the different spacing of the southern and northern crossing pillars.

The pulpit is located between the fifth and sixth columns on the north side. In turn, it is supported by small columns with powerful Corinthian capitals and dates from the Norman-Staufer period in Apulia. It is considered to be one of the major works of this time. Originally it was in San Basilio and was only transferred to the cathedral in 1860. According to the surrounding inscription, it was created in 1169, which can be read off at the beginning of the inscription below the left side relief. The front contains only a small column that supports the desk carried by a Staufer eagle; the eagle hits a hare. The left side contains a relief in which a lion killing a sheep is in turn attacked by a dog; it is an ancient oriental motif. The edges and corner pilasters are richly worked, mostly with an antique look. Due to the diversity of the parts, it is assumed that the pulpit was composed of individual parts.

The cathedral treasure contains important medieval works of art, including three Exultet rolls as well as measuring instruments and vestments

organ

The organ was built in 1958 by the Mascioni organ building company. The instrument has 23 registers (1406 pipes) on two manual works and a pedal. The actions are electric.

I Grand'Organo C – c 4
Principals 16 ′
Principals 8th'
Flauto armonico 8th'
Dulciana 8th'
Ottava 4 ′
Decimaquinta 2 ′
Ripieno grave II 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
Ripieno acuto IV 1'
Tromba 8th'
Voce umana 8th'
II Espressivo C – c 4
Principalino 8th'
Bordone 8th'
viola 8th'
Flauto 4 ′
Nazardo 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
Silvestre 2 ′
oboe 8th'
Voce celeste 8th'
tremolo
Pedals C – g 1
Contrabbasso 16 ′
Subbasso 16 ′
Basso armonico 8th'
Bordone 8th'
Ottava 4 ′

literature

  • Pina Belli d'Elia u. a .: La Puglia fra bisanzo e l'occidente ; Electa Editrice; Gruppo Editoriale Electa, Milan 1980.
  • Rolf Legler: Apulia: 7000 years of history and art in the land of cathedrals, forts and trulli ; DuMont Verlag; Cologne 1987 ISBN 3-7701-1986-X
  • Valentino Pace: Art monuments in southern Italy - Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria ; Knowledge Buchges .; Darmstadt 1994 ISBN 3-534-08443-8
  • Ekkehart Rotter: Apulia . Trips to Byzantine grotto churches, Norman cathedrals, Hohenstaufen forts and baroque buildings in Lecce. (=  DuMont art travel guide ). 6th edition. Dumont Reise Verlag, Ostfildern 2012, ISBN 3-7701-4314-0 .
  • Ludwig Tavernier: Apulia ; Artemis Publishing House; Munich 1987 ISBN 3-7608-0792-5
  • Carl Arnold Willemsen : Apulia - cathedrals and forts ; 2nd ed.; DuMont Schauberg; Cologne 1973 ISBN 3-7701-0581-8

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Legler: Apulien , p. 277
  2. ^ Willemsen: Apulia , p. 46.
  3. ↑ cf. Pina Belli d'Elia u. a .: La Puglia , p. 178f
  4. ↑ In detail: Willemsen: Apulien , p. 46f.
  5. ^ Willemsen: Apulia , p. 47.
  6. ↑ a b c Rotter: Apulien , p. 103
  7. ↑ a b c Rotter: Apulien , p. 100.
  8. ↑ a b c Willemsen: Apulien , p. 48
  9. ↑ quoted from Rotter, p. 101, addition from Willemsen, p. 295
  10. ^ Addition is quoted in Willemsen, p. 295, Rotter does not contain this.
  11. ^ Willemsen: Apulia , p. 295
  12. ↑ quoted from Rotter, p. 101
  13. ↑ Rotter, p. 101
  14. ↑ quoted from Willemsen, p. 296
  15. ↑ Willemsen, p. 296
  16. ^ Translation from Rotter, p. 101
  17. ^ Translation from Willemsen, p. 48
  18. ↑ Willemsen: Apulia , p. 49
  19. ↑ cf. Pina Belli d'Elia u. a .: La Puglia fra bisanzo e l'occidente , p. 180
  20. ↑ Rotter: Apulia , p. 104
  21. ↑ Legler: Apulien , p. 278
  22. ↑ Information on the organ , accessed on January 7, 2017.

Web links

Commons : Santa Maria Assunta (Troia)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 41 ° 21 ′ 39.5 "  N , 15 ° 18 ′ 30.9"  E