CATTEDRAL
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Basilica-cathedral classified as a national monument, housing sumptuous baroque altars in Nardo.
The basilica-cathedral of Nardò, dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta, has been a national monument since 1897. Erected by the Italian-Norman baron Goffredo di Conversano from 1088 on the remains of an ancient Basilian church, the cathedral was then devastated by an earthquake in the mid-13th century. The reconstruction was carried out in the Gothic style, with broken arches. The later façade dates back to the 18th century.
The cathedral preserves remains of 13th and 15th century frescoes in its three-nave interior, in which you can recognise St Nicholas, St Augustine, a Virgin and Child and a blessing Christ. Some of them still show clear Byzantine influences. In the side chapels there are sumptuous, finely carved Baroque altars; the altar of the Souls of Purgatory, in the second chapel on the left, by Placido Buffelli, is richly ornamented. The twisted columns at the base of the chapel show the tormented figures of the Souls of Purgatory. Also to be seen in the third chapel on the left is the Crocifisso Nero, a walnut wood crucifix in Catalan style, dating from the 13th century. To its left, a small shrine keeps a finger of the statue: tradition tells that it was broken when Saracen invaders tried to steal the statue. Blood then began to flow from the wound and the assailants, frightened, fled! The belfry, adjacent to the cathedral, is medieval in design up to the penultimate floor.
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