CATTEDRALE SAN SABINO - MUSEO DIOCESANO
Cathedral built in the first half of the eleventh century by Archbishop Bisanzio.
Built in the first half of the 11th century by Archbishop Bisanzio on the site of a previous Byzantine church, the cathedral was destroyed, like almost the whole city, by the Norman king William the Evil One (Guglielmo il Malo), to punish the inhabitants of Bari for not accepting his rule. Rebuilt at the end of the 12th century, the cathedral was given baroque additions in the 18th century: the portals are decorated with broken tympanums and the crypt is lined with polychrome marble. Inside the crypt are kept the relics of San Sabino, Bishop of Canosa in the 6th century, as well as the icon of the Virgin Odegitria which, according to tradition, arrived in Bari in the 8th century (although it seems to have been made centuries later). From the outside, the façade recalls that of the Basilica of San Nicola, with its tripartite structure and three portals. However, the more slender aspect of its façade and the presence of a rose window evoke the influence of the Gothic style, which tended to give the buildings a certain lightness. The 70 m high belfry dominates the ensemble. In the archaeological area next to the crypt are visible the mosaics of a first Palaeochristian basilica from the 5th century, the remains of the next church from the 9th century, tombs from different periods and a section of the Roman road. Adjacent to the cathedral is the Museo Diocesano: it houses, among other things, an illuminated parchment scroll dating back to the 11th century.
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