Matera Cathedral, Minor basilica in Matera, Italy
Matera Cathedral sits at the highest point of the Civita district, showing a large round window and a bell tower that rises above the old townscape. Inside, round arches separate the central nave from the side aisles, and you find wooden choir stalls from the mid-15th century along with a Byzantine fresco.
Construction began in 1230 during the reign of Emperor Frederick II of Swabia, and the rocky ground had to be raised by several meters so that the church could stand above the two valleys of the Sassi. The building incorporated parts of an earlier Norman castle and traces of an early Christian worship site, which excavations brought to light.
The church bears the dedication to Saint Matthew and has marked the center of civic life since its foundation, gathering townspeople for religious celebrations throughout the year. The small square in front of the main entrance serves as a natural meeting point, and the sound of bells often echoes across the old quarters below.
The church sits in the upper part of the old town and can be reached by steep lanes climbing from the center. Early morning hours work well for a visit, when fewer groups move through and light enters through the windows.
During archaeological work, specialists discovered beneath the current floor remains of a Norman castle and remnants of a much older Christian prayer room, dating back to the earliest centuries. These layers show how people used this hill as a sacred site across many ages.
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