Collegiata di San Martino, Collegiate church in Cerreto Sannita, Italy.
The Collegiata di San Martino is a large parish church in Cerreto Sannita with a broad facade and a striking external staircase that splits into four branches. The layout spreads across several hundred square meters and creates a spacious interior space with tall walls.
The building was first mentioned in 972, but gained its collegiate status in 1544 when six smaller parishes were unified. After an earthquake in 1688, it was rebuilt following contemporary designs.
The interior holds 18th-century paintings, wooden statues, and polychrome marble altars that fill the space with religious art. These works reflect how much the community valued this church over the centuries.
You enter through the distinctive external staircase, which offers multiple paths to the entrance. The interior is spacious and easy to walk through, with good light in the main areas.
The external staircase with its four branches is an unusual architectural solution that connects the square in front of the church with multiple entry points. This split construction was a practical response to how the community reorganized after the earthquake.
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