Cathedral of San Nicola Pellegrino

The Cathedral of San Nicola Pellegrino is the Cathedral of Trani, located in the historical center of the town, in close proximity to the sea.

Officially named Basilica Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, the Cathedral is one of the most significant examples of Romanesque architecture in Apulia.

It has been repeatedly defined as the Queen of the Cathedrals of Apulia, and is an Italian national monument.

SHORT HISTORY OF THE CATHEDRAL OF SAN NICOLA PELLEGRINO

Cathedral of San Nicola Pellegrino

The construction of the Cathedral of Trani is linked to the events of San Nicola Pellegrino (Saint Nicholas the Pilgrim), dating back to the time of Norman domination.

The story describes how Nicola Pellegrino landed in Trani on the eve of his death, after which several miracles occurred.

Later, he was canonized on the initiative of Archbishop Byzantium, with the authorization of Pope Urban II.

On the site of the current Cathedral, an ancient place of worship dating back to the 4th century was evidenced by recent archaeological excavations.

Subsequently, the Church of Santa Maria della Scala was built, inside which a chapel was dug to house the relics of San Leucio, stolen from Brindisi in the 8th century.

The Cathedral of Trani was built starting with 1099, on the basis of the older Church of Santa Maria della Scala, and the relics of San Nicola were placed in the crypt, located exactly under the transept of the upper church.

The Cathedral of San Nicola Pellegrino was consecrated in 1143 before it was even completed.

The decisive phase of construction presumably took place between 1159 and 1186, under the impetus of Bishop Bertrando II, while around the year 1200 completion was considered to have been achieved, with the exception of the bell-tower.

ARCHITECTURE OF THE CATHEDRAL OF TRANI

The Cathedral of San Nicola Pellegrino, important from an urban planning point of view, boasts a relatively isolated position compared to the surrounding buildings, and is located in the immediate vicinity of the coast.

The church is accessed via a double flight of stairs that leads to the portal, given that the ground floor is in a slightly raised position, 5 meters from the current street level.

The double ramp leads to a gallery located in front of the facade, where in the center of a blind arch there is a carefully decorated Romanesque portal. The style betrays the Arab architectural influence.

The central bronze door, one of the most interesting examples of its kind in southern Italy, is the work of Barisano da Trani, and was made in 1175.

The original door is on display inside the building, while a faithful replica has been placed outside, inaugurated in 2012.

On the western front, in addition to the entrance portal, there are also three large windows and a large rose window, whose harmonious arrangement gives the facade an elegant plasticity.

The openings are decorated with complex and refined intertwining compositions with phyto-zoomorphic figures.

As the shape of the facade suggests, the church follows the architectural scheme of a three-nave basilica.

Furthermore, the fact that the entrance is raised suggests the idea of the presence of a crypt of some importance. A visit inside will reveal that are actually a two churches, one above the other.

From the rear, the building is instead delimited by a massive transept facing the sea, and equipped with three apses. This is, undoubtedly, one of the major elements of originality of the church.

This part of the building is also decorated with blind arches in Romanesque style.

Above these, the lateral facades are decorated, to the south by two mullioned windows and a rose window, and to the north by two mullioned windows and a four-light window.

Cathedral of Trani (rear view)

The elegant bell-tower next to the facade was erected only later, between 1230 and 1239, but its completion, with the construction of the floors above the second, occurred shortly after the mid-14th century under Bishop Giacomo Tura Scottini.

Typically Romanesque is the lightening of the mass as one proceeds upwards, obtained with the architectural device of the openings that become increasingly larger as one goes up.

Under the bell-tower, 59 meters high, a large pointed arch creates a rather unusual architectural effect, as it significantly dematerializes the base on which the overlying mass of the tower is discharged.

Inside, the tripartite division into naves in the main part of the building is given by twin columns, which support the respective women’s galleries (matroneum).

The two side naves are covered with cross vaults, while the central one has exposed trusses.

The rear part of the church, that of the transept, forms a single space, even if the three apses repeat the tripartite division of the main body. It is distinguished by a showy truss roof similar to that of the central nave.

The sober and almost unadorned character of the Cathedral of Trani is due to the continuous remaking of the decorations, including those in the 19th century, and those of the first half of the 20th century.

On the occasion of the latter, carried out between 1939 and 1942 under the direction of Alfredo Barbacci, it was decided to preserve the medieval elements and remove, where possible, all the additions from later periods.

Divided into two units, the Crypt of San Nicola and the Crypt of Santa Maria, the lower church follows the plan of the building, and is distinguished by the elegance of the Romanesque capitals.

Through a small staircase, it is possible to access the hypogeum of San Leucio, excavated below the sea level and decorated with frescoes now in a poor state of conservation.

Of the mosaic flooring, inspired by that of the mosaic in the Cathedral of Otranto by Pantaleone, only a few shreds remain in the area of the presbytery.

The pipe organ of the Cathedral of Trani is located in the right arm of the transept, close to the back wall. It was built in 2013-2014 by Francesco Zanin, reusing materials of the previous instrument, the work of the Ruffatti Brothers of 1962.

HOW TO GET TO THE CATHEDRAL OF SAN NICOLA PELLEGRINO

The Cathedral of San Nicola Pellegrino is located about 1.2 kilometers away from the Trani railway station. To find the church on foot, use the map below.