Conca dei Marini

Conca dei Marini
—  Comune  —
Comune di Conca dei Marini
The marina at Conca dei Marini
Conca dei Marini Location of Conca dei Marini in Italy
Coordinates: 40°37′N 14°34′E
Country	Italy
Region	Campania
Province	Salerno
Government
• Mayor	Luigi Criscuolo
Area
• Total	1 km2 (0.4 sq mi)
Elevation	400 m (1,300 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	697
• Density	700/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
Demonym	Conchesi
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	84010
Dialing code	089
Patron saint	Saint Anthony of Padua
Saint day	June 13
Website	Official website

Conca dei Marini is a town and comune in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It is situated in the Amalfi Coast.

Geography

The village is situated on a hill close to the coast and between Amalfi and Furore.

Main sights

Emerald Cave

Main article: Grotta dello Smeraldo

The Main Church of St. John the Baptist or of St. Anthony of Padua

The church that goes under the title of St. John the Baptist Parish, also known as the Church of St. Anthony of Padua (official patron of Conca dei Marini from December 26, 1694), is a church of ancient foundation, that you completely ignore the origins. According to a 1673 document of the parish priest Don Nicola Rispoli, old structures around the church were ruined because of the plague, that when they were razed to the ground led to the discovery of two Roman urns. Among the official documents concerning the church, testifying that in 1416 a local lord, James Sarcaya, had the right to appoint the rector of the parish of St. John, this practice remained in the hands of the family Sarcaya for a long time, until it passed to the Paolillo family, which was related closely with it. Also in a notarial document dated to 1693 states in the presence of all the founders of the various noble families of the place, some of which Filiani other parrcchie land of Conca dei Marini, of the parish priests of the earth and of the official keeper of the royal tower built for the defense of the country that the church of St. John the Baptist has always been considered the oldest and was founded before all others and that it served for a long time only the locals. The church of St. John the Baptist appears to be the main church of the country, and there is venerated patron saint.

The church of St. John the Baptist stands on a high cliff, overlooking the entire expanse of water of the basin and serves the faithful of the district of Penne. With this position has been protected by the Saracen invasions which have hit hard the hand of the martyr St. Pancras. Based on the findings of the urns, it was assumed that the church rose to the site of an ancient pagan cult building used as a place of Christian worship in the Middle Ages. All this is demonstrated by the presence of pointed arches and structures, as evidenced by the Rispoli, decorated with lily of Anjou, already present in the coat of arms, in various parts of the building. This is to certify in ancient times the presence of a hospital whose facilities were dilapidated at the time of the regency of the parish priest, Father Nicholas Rispoli. In the sixteenth century the church was in very bad conditions that were aggravated during the 600, due to the negligence of the plague that decimated the population Conches. Access is through a large iron gate bearing a circle at the top, the letters SA (Shingles) on the site in Pali, which introduces a wide square. The church has three naves by two rows of large columns, which insist on round arches decorated with quality stucco, and ending in apses that look flat because both internally and externally are covered. Of course, the current structure is the result of a reconstruction of the thirteenth century. Despite the rich baroque decoration, it is possible to find momentum in the medieval style of cruising that covers the sanctuary and those that cover the main aisle.

The aisle on the left as you enter is not large due to the presence of bedrock. On this side there is the baptismal font, the crucifix, the altar dedicated to Our Lady of Montevergine and dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Caramel, the Blessed Bonaventure of Potenza and St. Anthony of Padua. These two chapels are shallower than those of the right side, again because of the rock wall, which are interconnected through a small gap, and dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi and St. Joseph. These two chapels are preceded by large niche where it is exposed to the patron saint. The floor of the building was replaced in the restoration carried out by the priest Giovanni Acampora in 1909, the original and now we can only observe him in the sacristy and in the side chapels of the south aisle, which was put on the site around 1820. The presbytery is slightly raised and after the restoration of consolidation of the floor of the transept of the air, in 1999, which led to the discovery of an ancient burial ground, was placed a marble altar and a marble pulpit always which has been inserted Roman cinerary urn. The picture on the main altar, depicting the Madonna between St. John the Baptist and St. Andrew the Apostle, is enclosed in a beautiful play of stucco surmounted by a veil, which before the restoration was blue, which starts with a crown stone. It wants to refer the coronation of the Virgin Mary. This work is the only evidence of Anjou, as demonstrated by the Madonna lily in his hand. On the left side end of the nave is the altar dedicated to Our (the original painting was stolen in its place there is a copy) and the organ is donated by devotees in 1926, while on the other side the altar is dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua and above there is a beautiful spot painting of St. Mary's Grade compratrona ancient country between San Antonio and Gaetano Anthony of Padua and the earth in the background of Conca. This altar was under the patronage of the family Pandolfi and it was this family to enhance the worship by being promoted for the construction of the statue of the patron, giving the picture to replace the previous one now inappropriate for the age of the year. The work is dated at the end of 500 and a visit of the Bishop of the diocese was praised for "fine art". Alongside this there is another altar, the only survivor of those walls, which houses the niche that houses the gilded statue of Our Lady of Sorrows, which is carried in procession on Good Friday. On the north aisle is the chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Philip Rispoli that the Blacks founded in 1682. Many thefts in the seventies and eighties have plundered the church vestments. The sacristy, which is accessed through a large door on the right side as you enter, consists of a large square hall covered by a dome at the center of which is painted a 'blue sky to a circular aperture, centered There is the dove of the Holy Spirit, surrounded by a balustrade. The church is characterized also by a bell tower with a spire once covered with earthenware tiles and a baroque facade facade, which presents an image of St. Anthony accompanied by histamine civitatem PROTEGAM Latin phrase ("I will defend this city") added in the restoration of 1909. The building was restored for the second time in 1990, because of the Irpinia earthquake of November 1980.

The church of Santa Maria di Grado

The Church of Santa Maria di Grado is located in Grado, the upper part of the village after which it takes its name. This church originally dates back to the 9th Century. It was destroyed by a natural disaster and was rebuilt the following century. The original building cannot be seen as the modifications made over the centuries have been so many. In 1539, the Bishop Giovanni Ferdinando Annio donated the church to the local town hall who subsequently gave it in poor condition to the Pandolfo family in the 17th century on condition that they built a monastery next door. The church is formed by a rectangular room covered by arched vaults while the outside presbytery area is covered by tiles. During the heyday of the monastery which was dedicated to Santa Rosa di Lima, the church was enlarged and embellished in a typical late baroque style. A gate covered by religious imagery leads into a narrow and long courtyard surrounded by a wall built in the 18th century to protect the Cloister. A small porch - above which a room can be found where the chairs of the nuns can still be seen - precedes the entrance. The threshold of the big door has been created re-utilising the tombstone of the Reverend Pietro Coltellino, Rector of the church in the 17th Century. The entrance is flanked by two rooms, the left hand one was the old nun's confessional. A very small space with a grate where the priest used to sit in order to let the nuns be invisible and receive the confession. The other is the small storage room and is situated underneath the bell tower. Above the door, there is the choir area surrounded by a wooden parapet covered by a gold, domed grate. On each side there are three small chapels. On the right there are the ones dedicated to the Immaculate Conception and Santa Lucia, Piety and Santa Rosa. On the left there is one dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, to San Nicola and Our Lady of the Rosary, a group of saints belonging to the Dominican Order. As demonstrated by the stuccos of the past, there should have been another two next to the entrance door. The first four altars are made of wood and repeat the motifs of the choir parapet. Unfortunately the principal altar made from gold wood has been lost. It must have been the crucial point for people entering and this was replaced with another one in marble in 1858. The flooring laid in 1750 has survived the continuous refurbishment and was the replacement of the type of lapillo flooring still present in the music school today. On the wall at the end, next to the main altar, there is still on the left a door painted with a grey band which precedes the Sacristy. On the right there is a window decorated with floral motifs and a double golden grate with a little door for the communion. This area was for the nuns only and access was from the monastery so the nuns could receive the communion without being seen. Later on, another door from the corridor to the Sacresty was opened. Above the two aforementioned openings, we can see two symmetrical golden windows for the second choir. The belltower is similar to the Amalfi Cathedral's, although of a smaller stature. On the area outside the church, there are various openings through which one can access rooms and entrances to the Monastery - that is until the monastery was stopped by the Town Hall who has remained the owner of the Church.

Pictures of the church

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Photogallery

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  Cape Conca, with the old watch tower

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  The church of Saint John the Baptist

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  View of Conca from the sea

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  The area of Cape Conca and Emerald Grotto

See also

• Fiordo di Furore
• Amalfi Coast
• Sorrentine Peninsula

External links

Media related to Conca dei Marini at Wikimedia Commons

• Conca Dei Marini Travel Information and Photo Gallery