CATTEDRALE DI MATERA

The Cathedral of Matera, located on the top of the Civita, is dedicated to the Madonna della Bruna, patron saint of the city along with Sant'Eustachio. Its beautiful facade, decorated with a rose window, overlooks the Sasso Barisano and, from the belvedere in front of the building, there is a magnificent view. The cathedral was commissioned by Bishop Andrea, on his return from Palestine, and was built between 1230 and 1270. The building is 54 meters long and its bell tower is 52 meters high. The tripartite façade has retained its original Apulian Romanesque appearance. It is decorated with statues of San Pietro, San Paolo, Sant'Eustachio and Santa Teopista, masterpieces attributed to the Persios, a family of master sculptors who were active in the artistic life of Matera in the 16th and 17th centuries. On the right side there are two elaborate portals, one of which is the "dei Leoni", flanked by stylophoric lions (column holders). The interior is a Latin cross with three naves, with ten columns with original historiated capitals and a richly decorated ceiling. Heavy interventions during the 16th, 17th and especially 18th centuries gave the building its baroque appearance. To the right of the main entrance, a fresco of the Giudizio Universale (Last Judgment), attributed to Rinaldo da Taranto (13th century), was discovered. Also worth seeing: a painted limestone crib by Altobello Persio (1534) and the Madonna della Bruna, a 13th century Byzantine fresco inserted in a later Baroque altar.