Santa Maria Capua Vetere. The Campanian Amphitheater

2023

The Campanian Amphitheater or Capuano Amphitheater is a Roman amphitheater located in the city of Santa Maria Capua Vetere - coinciding with the ancient Capua - second in size only to the Colosseum in Rome. It is located within the municipal area of Santa Maria Capua Vetere, facing Piazza I Ottobre. A substantial part of its stones were used by the Capuans in the Norman era to erect the Castle of the Stones of the city of Capua; some of his ornamental busts, used in the past as keystones for the theater arches, were placed on the facade of the Town Hall of Capua.

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Benedictine Abbey of S. Angelo in Formis

The church, dedicated to San Michele Arcangelo, rises along the western slope of Mount Tifata. Initially in the documents the building is indicated as ad arcum Dianae ("at the arch of Diana"), recalling that it stood above the remains of the temple dedicated to this divinity, while later it is referred to with the denominations ad Formas , Informis or in Formis. The etymological interpretation of the new name is controversial: on the one hand, the hypothesis is that it derives from the Latin term forma ("aqueduct"), and that it indicates the proximity of a conduit or aquifer; while on the other hand the term is considered derived from the word informis ("formless", and therefore "spiritual"). The remains of the Roman temple were found in 1877, and it has been noted that the basilica retraces its perimeter, adding the apses at the end of the aisles. The first construction of the basilica can be traced back to the Lombard period, on the basis of the widespread diffusion of the cult of the archangel Michael among the Lombards at the end of the sixth century. At the time of the bishop of Capua Pietro I (925-938), the church was donated to the monks of Montecassino, who wanted to build a monastery there. The church was then taken from the monks and given back to them in 1072 by the prince of Capua, Riccardo. The then abbot Desiderio di Montecassino (the future Pope Victor III) decided to rebuild the basilica (1072 - 1087) and still respected the architectural elements of pagan origin. To him we owe the frescoes of the Byzantine-Campanian school that decorate the interior and which constitute one of the most important and best preserved pictorial cycles of the time in southern Italy. The reconstruction of the portico in front of the church, with new frescoes, and a reconstruction of the bell tower following a collapse have been attributed to the 12th century

Teano. Church of San Paride ad Fontem

The building of S. Paride is a church with a basilica structure with three naves, and termination with a semicircular apse. The facade, where it is possible to admire the building technique in tuff blocks arranged in regular rows, is characterized by the presence of two semi-columns in tuff on the sides of the portal, and a third in the right corner. The half-columns each rest on a pilaster, also in tuff. A fourth semi-column must have been present near the left corner, where there is still a Tuscan base still in tuff. These still retain the Corinthian capitals of reuse, also in local tuff. The entrance is rather simple, with a molded secmicircular frame supported by two shelves with inlaid motifs in plants. The marble frame still preserves the kyma lesbio decoration, followed by a curb with parallel lines and a second frame with denticles. The frame overlooks a lunette where traces of a fresco can no longer be read. The whole is surmounted by two mullioned windows. Internally, the naves are divided into six bays and separated by arches supported on each side by five quadrangular pillars. The light comes from the mullioned windows placed on the perimeter walls. A large opening, now flanked, also with a round arch, is visible along the left perimeter. The only piece of furniture is the so-called chair of S. Paride, made up of a reddish tuff block. The interior is rather simple, and still has a small crypt with burials in the crate.

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The Avalos castle of Vairano Patenora

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Gallo Matese, the lake

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Teano. The Cathedral. The Pulpit

The cathedral, originally dedicated to San Terenziano, was later named after San Clemente. Construction began in 1050 by Bishop Guglielmo, to replace the old cathedral of San Paride ad Fontem, located outside the city walls. The works were completed in 1116 by Bishop Pandulfo. The building has a basilica structure divided into three naves by two rows of columns. In 1608 it was damaged internally by a fire that almost completely destroyed the cosmates ambo, subsequently recomposed using the remains of the previous one integrated with the marble slabs of a fourteenth-century sepulchral monument already present in the church and positioned on twisted columns, two of which rested on fountain lions. During the 16th century the Romanesque apse was modified and on that occasion a precious carved wooden choir was built in the presbytery, built in 1539 by the Benedictine Antonio Maria Sertorio. The choir underwent two restorations, the first in the 17th century and the second in 1957, following the damage suffered during the Second World War.

Vairano Patenora (CE), the Aragonese Castle

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Teano, the Cathedral of San Clemente.

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