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Matera Sassi - Photo (c)
Morey Kitzman
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Matera
Matera, capital of the province since 1926, will astonish any
visitor with its extraordinary past full of history, art,
culture and wise saying. The ditched villages of the Murgia
Plateau and its archeological heritage witness the permanent
presence of mankind from the Stone Age up to present times.
Matera is the town of the Sassi, the ancient quarters
that, shrouded in archaic charm, are an example of an
incomparable urban structure: Sassi and the facing
Murgia Plateau are now inscribed on the World Heritage List on
behalf of UNESCO, a patrimony belonging to all mankind.
Town of
one hundred and more rock-hewn churches, revealing Latin and
Byzantine frescoes, inspired by the mysticism of solitary monks
and embodied in religious art.
Of equal charm are the small towns and villages surrounding
Matera, with their characteristic and lovely town centers, whose
ancient streets will amaze the passers-by, who cannot but
perceive the efforts and the hardships of the people, and that
will also reveal traditions, folk celebrations, religious feasts,
the spontaneous hospitality and the inviting food.
A totally
enrapturing territory, from the splendor of its Jonian coasts
with fine sandy shores and its original naturalistic environment
to the charm of the ravines, monasteries and the "incandescent"
gullies, all gerns that will enchant its visitors.
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Matera: (401 m. above sea level) still bears the
unique signs of history and prehistory. Dating as far back as the
period of the Punic Wars, Matera sheltered the fugitives of
Metapontum and Heraclea. Thus, its name may derive from tha
comnation of the first three letter of the names of the villages
above-mentioned (Met - Era), even most learned men claim thet it
could also derive from "Mata", wich means "heaps of rocks".
According to some people, Matera, that used to be part of Apulia,
was probably founded in 251 b.C. by Metello (a Roman Consul) who
called it Matheola. It is only in the 9th century that this
theory was confirmed by some more reliable informations. Later
on, after the succession of various rulers, the "Tramontano" came
to reign by investiture on behalf of ferdinand of Aragon. On 1514
December, 29 during a popular uprising, Count Giovanni Carlo
Tramontano was killed because of his cruelty towards the
peasants.
Matera was the capital of the region from 1663 since 1806, when
Joseph Bonaparte transferred this prestigious role to the town of
Potenza
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Now Matera is the residence of the archbishop and boasts the
important 13th century Cathedral as well as the churches of St.
Domenico, St. Giovanni Battista, St. Francesco d'Assisi, St.
Chiara, Purgatory, St. Francesco da Paola and many others, whose
characteristic architecture represent the different ages and
their fine workmanship.
The particular characteristic of the land, its morphology and
that of the Murgia Plateau of Matera encouraged, between the 8th
and 13th centuries, the development of an intense monastic
movement that found tha ancient cave.dwellings as the ideal
habitat for monasteries and rock-hewn churches since they
reproduced tha original pattern of those existing in their own
countries.
Throughout the countryside of Matera there are more
than 130 rock-hewn churches, some of them are underground
churches, whereas tha others are carved into the rock integrating
with the outside constructions that witness the presence of latin
and Greek-Byzantine monastic cultures in Matera, their meeting
point throughout the centuries.
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The Cathedral stands on a rise overlooking the two valleys of the
Sassi, that in ancient times was the site of the Church
of St. Eustachio. It's an outstanding example of Romanesque-Apulian
architecture; the pediments mounted on its altars originally
belonged to the destroyed temples of Metaponto. The frescoes are
from the school of Naples. The elaborate Stone Nativity,
sculptured by the artistis Altobello Persio from Montescaglioso,
is very interesting.
The construction of the Cathedral, commissioned by Archbishop
Andrea started in 1230 and ended in 1270. The Cathedral of Matera
has one neve and two aisles and represent the perfect blend of
art and faith. The former representing tha best expression of
man's skills; the lattaer as an engagement to defy the passing of
time and the loss of its true religois signficance.
The National Museum Domenico Ridola is named after its
founder, a doctor and archaeologist famous throughout Europe. He
was born in Ferrandina. a small town in Basilicata and died in
1932. He founded the museum in 1910 and later he donated it to
the Italian Governement.
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Dr. Ridola explored the subsoil of the
area surrounding Matera, in particular the area of Timmari,
discovering important archaeological treasures such as the
prehistoric tools made of smooth stone, sarcophaguses with
historiated crockery and lachrymatories, statues, primordial
weapons, necklaces, coins etc. At present, the Museum is divided
into large rooms where all the findings are displayed. Each of
these rooms have been named after the sites where the findings
were discovered.
Texts and photos courtesy of Tourist Agency of Basilicata
(c) 1997-2008 E. Massetti
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