Gruppo BISACCIA

The Cathedral is "a sacrament, a memory, a symbol. In it the particular Church gathers and manifests herself around her Bishop who sanctifies her through the Word and the Sacraments, in her continues and lives the Church of Christ until the day of her full and total manifestation to the world. Among the places of celebration, the presence of the Episcopal Chair is significant because it refers to the seat of the Apostle, the Bishop is the successor and successor of the Apostle, who survives in him and continues to work in the Church; it is the throne of the Elderly, to which the Apocalypse alludes, and the teacher's chair in the faith by virtue of the spiritual gift received in episcopal ordination". (cf. Mgr. Salvatore Nunnari, message to the Archdiocese on the occasion of the reopening for worship of the Cathedral of S. Angelo dei Lombardi).

The signs of stratification are documented by some elements still existing in the church: limestone portal (1515) surmounted by an icon of a Holy Bishop, the main altar in polychrome marble of late Baroque style, a carved wooden choir of Bagnolese workshop, the altar of the Madonna of Constantinople and some basreliefs placed on the façade, probably prior to the sixteenth century, which depict Respectively St. Gregory, the Evangelists and St. Daniel. The structure was transformed in the twentieth century by the earthquakes that hit the city in 1910 and 1930. Furthermore, in 1975 restoration work was carried out at the vaults of the bays of the aisles as well as the ancient wooden beams (dr. Lepre project) were eliminated to create a countertop of classical style with regular squares in resin stucco. Other consolidation and restoration measures were carried out following the serious damage caused by the 1980 earthquake; the works, carried out by the Extraordinary Government Commissariat and cared for by the Superintendence in charge of the territory, involved the renovation of the roof, the static consolidation of the walls and the partial reconstruction of severely damaged and / or missing parts, as well as the construction of a new flooring. Finally, a further functional adaptation (heating system) and ordinary maintenance (painting of the interior) was carried out in 1998. The church was elevated to the rank of co-cathedral in 1986. In a provisional version, the conciliar altar was built in 1975, modifying the old Tridentine altar (cutting and moving in an advanced position) as well as placed on a platform in a central position with respect to the tribune with wooden choir.

The reconstruction of 1747 is by the master Pietro D. Pagano (in the frieze of the cornice in fact we read: M. PETRVS D. PAGANO QVVM HOC TEMPLVM FECIT 1747)

The reconstruction dates back to 1747 in today's location in what were the gardens of the Castle. First sources recall a cathedral already in the xi century in fact dates back to 1097 a notarial deed in which Basil, Bishop of Bisaccia

Piazza Duomo, Bisaccia

The Cathedral belongs to the Archdiocese of Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, Conza, Nusco and Bisaccia

Numerous recovery and restoration interventions have been carried out over the years, after the twentieth century. Of the 70s and 80s of the XXI century are the replacements of the floors (with loss of the tombstones to close the cubicles and family tombs)

The ancient Cathedral was located in the heart of the historic center, in the area now between Largo Campanile Vecchio and via Vescovado Vecchio. It was flanked by the Episcope. There is no longer any visible trace of the old structure, except in an episcopal coat of arms, a tombstone and an epigraph from 1619, which recalls the construction of a chapel, dedicated to the Madonna del Carmine, by the notary Annibale Formoso. The building was destroyed by the earthquakes of 1694 and 1732. No attempt to verify has been made, in particular during the recent reconstruction works of the town, if part of the crypts below the current road layout were recoverable. The Duke Procopio Maria Pignatelli De la Rochefoucauld donates the hill of the gardens of the Castle, for the reconstruction of the Cathedral. The agreement was that it would be rebuilt, albeit delocalized, as it was. The current Cathedral church was rebuilt in 1747, in today's place, by master Pietro D. Pagano, who brought together the thin thread of history , broken by earthquakes, recomposing the ancient Romanesque-Gothic bas-reliefs in the elegant stone facade. Unique in Irpinia, these sculptures by Bisaccia represent a harmonious synthesis between Norman and Byzantine art. The bas-relief positioned on the cusp, reproduces the prophet Daniel in the lions' den, which could symbolize the Bishop of Bisaccia disputed by the Byzantines and the Lombards; in fact the lions turn their backs indicating the separation of a border (the via dei due Principati). The one on the portal, on the other hand, depicts a holy Bishop (perhaps Pope Gregory the Great, dressed in the Byzantine manner) in a blessing attitude, seated between the symbols of the four evangelists (the angel, the ox, the eagle and the lion). The epigraphs on the lintel of the door commemorate its dedication and consecration. The "pontificant" and the "dominant" are the last two Bishops of Bisaccia: Gaspare de Corbara (1498-1517) and Nicola Volpe (1517-1540). The reason for the dedication of the temple to the Nativity of Mary of Constantinople, Stella del Mare, a Marian title so far from the reality of the Irpinia hinterland, is perhaps explained by the presence in the territory of the Byzantines who lived with the Lombards, thanks to the mediation of the Bishops. The inscription on the right side facade mentions the Bishops De Cancellariis and Ignazio Ciantes. The plan is a Byzantine-Norman basilica, without transept, with three naves decorated with delicate eighteenth-century stuccoes, East (oculus) - West orientation (sixteenth-century polylobed window). The church is interspersed with 12 pillars that mark the four bays of the sail-covered aisles. On the right there is the Baptistery: in stone, from 1577, on whose pedestal the coat of arms of Bishop Pietro Antonio Vicedomini (1574-1580) is carved. Proceeding along the right side aisle you can admire the wooden statues arranged in the niches above the altars: S. Michele Arcangelo of 1873, S. Gaetano da Thiene, the Madonna of Constantinople from the seventeenth century. In the right side chapel: the 18th century polychrome marble altar surmounted by a seventeenth-century wooden temple which houses in its rich carving decoration a precious coeval wooden statue depicting the Virgin Mary which popular tradition also calls "the Madonna of Constantinople". The presbytery, bordered by a balustrade in marble columns, is dominated by the high altar and the Episcopal Chair. The main altar: in polychrome marble from the 1700s, with a precious tabernacle in the shape of an Ionic temple facade surmounted by a ciborium with Corinthian columns. The Chair: in wood, with the coat of arms of Bishop Giuseppe Fanelli (1854-1891). The apse houses the flagship of the Cathedral and a jewel of local sculptural art: The carved wooden choir of the Bagnolese school of 1622. The 19 stalls, the backrests, the armrests, the niches and the upper entablature are entirely carved with grotesque figures, cherubs and acanthus leaves. In the center, the “praefectus Chori” stall stands out, surmounted by the coat of arms of Bishop Francesco Diotallevi (1614-1622). The memory of meditation and prayer of the numerous canons who once officiated in the Cathedral, whose Chapter included three Dignities: Cantor, Primicerio, Treasurer and two Offices: Theologian and Penitentiary, remains linked to this place. In the left side aisle you can see an ancient wooden crucifix and the statue of the Virgin of Sorrows. The chapel that closes this nave is that of the Blessed Sacrament: a privileged space for the encounter with the Lord, truly present under the sign of Bread, in silence and meditation. The eighteenth-century altar in polychrome marble with the tabernacle door in fine chiseled silver is surmounted by a Renaissance temple that houses a wooden statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The wooden pulpit in the central nave dates back to 1762.