CATTEDRALE DI SAN BASSO

The cathedral stands on the highest point of the ancient village, where the first inhabitants settled, as excavations in the area indicate. The first construction must have been built on the ruins of an ancient pagan building, of which there is no trace. On the other hand, remains of a previous religious building have been found in the place of the present cathedral, dedicated to Saint Mary in the ^11th century. In the ^twelfth century, two earthquakes violently damaged the mosaic floor of the church, so it was decided to build a new temple. Alfano of Termoli followed the new project, which began at the end of the ^twelfth century and was financed by rich merchants of Ravello. The cathedral has a beautiful Romanesque facade, inspired, it seems, by the style in vogue in Puglia during the ^12th century. It is divided into three naves by pilasters and decorated with small arcades and blind geminated bays. It has a beautiful gothic portal with a tympanum (lunette). Inside, there are three naves and three apses. In a crypt, discovered in 1936, one can also observe the apses of an ancient church. It is here that the remains of San Basso and San Timoteo are kept. In the same crypt there are two mosaics with animal figures. The first one is in the left apse and the second one, bigger, in the central nave of the ancient church. Their realization has been dated to the second half of the ^eleventh century.