Gallipoli Cathedral

Gallipoli Cathedral
Co-Cathedral Basilica of Saint Agatha the Virgin
Basilica Concattedrale di Sant'Agata Vergine (Italian)
Front and side of the cathedral
40°03′17″N 17°58′34″E
Location	Gallipoli, Apulia, Italy
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	www.cattedralegallipoli.it
History
Status	Minor basilica, co-cathedral
Dedication	Agatha of Sicily
Architecture
Architect(s)	Francesco Bischetini Scipione Lachibari Giuseppe Zimbalo
Style	Baroque
Groundbreaking	1629 (1629)
Completed	1696
Administration
Diocese	Diocese of Nardò-Gallipoli

The Gallipoli Cathedral, formally the Co-Cathedral Basilica of Saint Agatha the Virgin (Italian: Basilica Concattedrale di Sant'Agata Vergine), is a Roman Catholic church located in the town of Gallipoli in Apulia, Italy. Completed in 1696, the Baroque church is a minor basilica and the co-cathedral of the Diocese of Nardò-Gallipoli.

History

The Gallipoli Cathedral was constructed between 1629 and 1696, and is dedicated to Saint Agatha of Sicily.

Architecture

The Baroque facade of the cathedral was designed by Giuseppe Zimbalo, Francesco Bischetini, and Scipione Lachibari. It is constructed out of carparo stone, sourced from Southern Italy. The church was built with a cruciform floorpan in the shape of a Latin cross.

Interior

The interior of the church is a mixture of the Byzantine and Renaissance styles. The nave is flanked by columns of grey marble, which support an arcade. The interior is ornamented by paintings by Giovanni Andrea Coppola, a painter native to Gallipoli. Nicolò Malinconico painted the frescoes on the walls and in the cupola, which depicts the martyrdom of Saint Agatha.

The cathedral's altar is made of a reused Ancient Roman marble stele. There is an Ancient Greek inscription on the stele that reads:

[Δωρ]ον τιμαλφεστατον . . . πελω. / Εγω προσαχ[θεν τη]
τραπεζη τη ξενη / . . . ηπερ ην Μαρζηλιου / [ . . . τριφε]γγους
και τριφω[του . . .]. / Αυθις δε πει[σθεις τη προ]θυμια παση /
Μαγι[. . .]ου πατρωνος αμα και θυτου, / κυρις καθυφιζανεν
ευσεβοφρον(ως) / Παντολεων Προεδρος τουδε του θρονου.

Translated into English:

I am a most precious gift . . . I was placed on the remarkable altar . . . , which belonged
to Marsilios, three times glittering and three times luminous. Acceding to the ardent
desire of Magi . . . os, patron and priest, lord bishop Pantoleon, holder of this throne,
sits with great piety.

See also

• Diocesan Museum of Gallipoli

References

Sources

• Briggs, Martin Shaw (1911). In the Heel of Italy: A Study of an Unknown City. New York: Duffield & Co. OCLC 5247550. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019 – via Google Books.
• Domenico, Roy (2002). The Regions of Italy: A Reference Guide to History and Culture. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-30733-4. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019 – via Google Books.
• Benigni, Umberto (1909). "Diocese of Gallipoli". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
• Piuzzi, Emanuele; Pittella, Erika; Pisa, Stefano; Cataldo, Andrea; De Benedetto, Egidio; Cannazza, Giuseppe (September 2018). "An improved noninvasive resonance method for water content characterization of Cultural Heritage stone materials". Measurement. 125: 257–261. doi:10.1016/j.measurement.2018.04.070. S2CID 117597277.
• Safran, Linda (2014). "Database: Sites in the Salento with Texts and Images Informative About Identity". The Medieval Salento: Art and Identity in Southern Italy. The Middle Ages Series. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 239–336. ISBN 9780812245547. JSTOR j.ctt5vkcwn.13.

External links

• Official website