Oratorio di Santa Maria in Valle, 8th-century Lombard temple in Cividale del Friuli, Italy
The Oratory of Santa Maria in Valle is an 8th-century Lombard religious building within the monastery complex of Cividale del Friuli, accessible through a small wooden doorway from the cloister. The interior is divided into a raised presbytery and a square main chamber with vaulted ceilings, while the outer walls are structured by blind arches.
The building was erected in the third quarter of the 8th century as a palace chapel for the court of King Astolfo in the Lombard Duchy of Friuli. After the end of Lombard rule, the oratory served subsequent religious communities as a place of prayer.
The interior displays stucco work featuring six female figures on the side walls, likely representing holy virgins and crafted in a three-dimensional technique unusual for the 8th century. The frescoes in the presbytery follow Byzantine models and connect Lombard craftsmanship with eastern influences.
Access is through the cloister of the adjoining monastery via a low wooden doorway that preserves the original entrance system. The oratory is part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites since 2011 and can be visited as part of the museum operation.
The stucco reliefs on the walls still preserve traces of their original coloring from the construction period in places, although over twelve centuries have passed. The wooden entrance doorway also dates from the early Middle Ages and is among the oldest surviving wooden doors in Europe.
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