Monopoli Cathedral

The Madonna della Madia or Santa Maria della Madia is the Roman Catholic cathedral church in the town of Monopoli, in the province of Bari, region of Apulia, Italy. The church is designated a minor basilica.

History

The church was erected near the site of a Roman temple and burial site. The church is begun in 1107, although work supposedly paused due to the lack of roof beams. A miracle occurred when in 1117, a raft carrying an icon of the Madonna wafted into port. The raft beams were used to construct the roof.

Construction of a Romanesque structure was not complete until 1442, when consecration occurred. The church, mainly 2 of the three bell-towers were damaged during the siege of the Marquis Del Vasto in 1528. The remaining tower collapsed in 1686, killing forty townspeople in the process. By 1693, a new campanile was erected.

In 1738, an endowment by Bishop Giulio Sacchi called for a refurbishment. The old church was razed, and a new church begun in 1742. Work was completed in Neoclassical-style in 1772. In 1921, the church was named a minor Basilica. In 1986, the dioceses of Monopoli and Conversano are joined, making this a co-cathedral.

The chapel of our Lady of Madia has elaborate polychrome decoration at the Altar. The chapel has two large canvases by Pietro Bardellino, and there are 6 small 18th-century paintings depicting the Life of the Virgin by Michele del Pezzo. A series of four paintings (1732) in the chapel of the Martyrs by Michelangelo Signorile recount the Miracle of the Raft.