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Gallipoli Cathedral

Coordinates: 40°03′17″N 17°58′34″E / 40.05472°N 17.97611°E / 40.05472; 17.97611
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Gallipoli Cathedral
Co-Cathedral Basilica of Saint Agatha the Virgin
Basilica Concattedrale di Sant'Agata Vergine (Italian)
Three-quarter view of the Gallipoli Cathedral
Front and side of the cathedral
Map
40°03′17″N 17°58′34″E / 40.05472°N 17.97611°E / 40.05472; 17.97611
LocationGallipoli, Apulia, Italy
DenominationRoman Catholic
Websitewww.cattedralegallipoli.it
History
StatusMinor basilica, co-cathedral
DedicationAgatha of Sicily
Architecture
Architect(s)
StyleBaroque
Groundbreaking1629 (1629)
Completed1696
Administration
DioceseDiocese 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

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The Gallipoli Cathedral was constructed between 1629 and 1696, and is dedicated to Saint Agatha of Sicily.[1]

Architecture

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The Baroque facade of the cathedral was designed by Giuseppe Zimbalo,[2] Francesco Bischetini, and Scipione Lachibari. It is constructed out of carparo stone, sourced from Southern Italy.[3] The church was built with a cruciform floorpan in the shape of a Latin cross.[2]

Interior

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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.[4] The interior is ornamented by paintings by Giovanni Andrea Coppola, a painter native to Gallipoli.[1] Nicolò Malinconico painted the frescoes on the walls and in the cupola, which depicts the martyrdom of Saint Agatha.[5]

The cathedral's altar is made of a reused Ancient Roman marble stele. There is an Ancient Greek inscription on the stele that reads:[6]

[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:[6]

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

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b Domenico 2002, p. 27
  2. ^ a b "Gallipoli: the Cathedral of St. Agatha Virgin and Martyr of Catania". Foodismo. June 13, 2017. Archived from the original on November 8, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  3. ^ Piuzzi et al. 2018, p. 258
  4. ^ Briggs 1911, p. 316
  5. ^ Benigni 1913
  6. ^ a b Safran 2014, p. 277

Sources

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