Altamura Cathedral

In 1248, under pressure from Frederick, Pope Innocent IV declared Altamura exempt from the jurisdiction of the bishop of Bari, making it a "palatine" church, one of four in Apulia.

[5] An inscription in Latin, located upon the so-called "Angevin door" (Italian: Porta Angioina), says that the church collapsed on January 29, 1316 and that it was rebuilt with the help of skilled constructors from the nearby Bitonto.

The first man who correctly translated this inscription was local historian Ottavio Serena, as he stated in his unfinished work Storia di Altamura.

[6] The current orientation of the church is opposite to the original one, although it is not known if the change dates to Robert of Anjou's reign (early 14th century) or to the enlargement carried out in 1521–1547.

[15] The façade has two tall bell towers with two orders in the right one, and three (including the first in Romanesque style, in the left one, which are joined by a small loggia surmounted by a tympanum.

At the top is a tympanum with the coats of arms of the House of Anjou and of the princes of Taranto, rulers of Altamura in the late 14th century.

The capitals, in Byzantine style, are the last decoration detail visible today of the original Frederick II's building, together with the matronaea and the apse at the left of the portal.

The nave, with a wooden ceiling decorated with gilded stuccoes, ends in a large 18th century high altar, executed in 1736–1793.

The fourth left chapel, dedicated to St. Joseph, is in Baroque and includes a polychrome marble altar with the statue of the saint holding Jesus' hand with a baldachin.

Altamura Cathedral.
The interior.
Inscription in Latin , reporting the church collapse on January 29, 1316.
The clock tower, added in 1858.
The cathedral in the final years of the 16th century [ 16 ]
View of Altamura (from the gate porta Bari ) - Painting of Saint Irene (first half of the 18th century) - Council Hall of the city of Altamura [ 17 ]