u/theopilk

Hidden in the paved alleys of Otranto’s historic centre, near the harbour bastions, stands the Byzantine Basilica of St Peter, the oldest church in Otranto. Built on the town’s highest point between the end of the 9th and beginning of the 10th century, it is an important testament to Byzantine rule in the region. The church has a simple limestone façade and a low hemispherical dome. Its interior follows a Greek-cross plan with three naves, three semicircular apses and columns supporting the central dome. The west-facing portal contrasts with the altar on the eastern side, where a small opening once allowed the first rays of dawn to illuminate the church.

Other notable features include a medieval marble basin decorated with an engraved Greek cross, later extended into a Latin cross, and a colourful Lecce-stone statue of St Peter dating from 1635.

The church was originally richly decorated with Byzantine frescoes, some of which were later covered by as many as five successive layers. Surviving works include the Washing of the Feet and the Last Supper, dating to the 9th century, as well as scenes of the Baptism, Pentecost and Resurrection.

These Byzantine images coexist with later Western frescoes depicting the Pietà, Annunciation, various Madonnas and numerous saints. Above the altar is also a Kufic decoration of Arab origin that appears to contain an invocation to Allah. Together, these Byzantine, Western Christian and Arab elements make the Basilica of St Peter a remarkable meeting place of different cultures and religious traditions

Legend had it that it was constructed following vision that appeared to Tancred I, King of Sicily, Count of Lecce: he claimed to have seen the Virgin after chasing a tawn into a cave. It is far more likely that the foundation of the complex dates to the early 12" century, when Bohemond I of Antioch (1058-1111) - son of the valiant Robert Guiscard, the first Norman to be elevated to the title of Duke of Puglia, Calabria and Sicily - had a coenobium built there for Greek monks who were followers of the Rule of St Basil the Great. It is traditionally stated that the monks lived at Cerrate from the mid-12h century - the period in which the sources confirm the presence of a library and a scriptorium here.
By the time it passed under the control of the Hospital of the Incurables in Naples, in 1531, the complex had become a rich, multi-layered structure. Buildings constructed in different periods are today scattered around the church: the Monks House; the Farmer's House, dating from the 19 century; a building erected in the early 16 century, with a single room and a stellar-vaulted ceiling, presumably used as a stable; and the well, made using pietra leccese stone in 1585. The raid by Turkish pirates in 1711 caused the entire complex to fall into a state of complete abandonment and decay - a situation that Persisted through out the 19% and 20h centuries until the intervention of the Province of Lecce in 1965. In 2012, the complex was entrusted to FAl on a thirty-year concessionary basis with the objective of restoring it and reopening it to the public.

The last photo is a mosaic of the Dormition, likely of the 14th century, typical of the Byzantine tradition, represents the death of the Virgin. Underneath, in the centre, Mary is laid out on a catafalque covered in damasked fabrics embellished with pearls. Together with the Apostles, three bishops officiate at the funeral: Timothy, Hierotheos and Dionysius the Areopagite. In the middle section, Christ appears in mandorla: he holds the eidolon (soul) of his mother bound like a mummy. A Gothic-style architectural frame serves as a background to the earthly scene. The Apostles rush to bid the Virgin farewell. In the lower right corner, a kneeling figure, identified as Peregrini de Morciano, is represented as the probable client of the fresco. Originally located on the wall of the left aisle, the large Koimesis of the Virgin was realised in the 14* century above the series of saints that today appear "mottled".

Hugh is going to take some inventiveness and I wonder if some costume can be gotten together. But man would love to do this costume with my 3 year old this year. For Diana I can definitely just go with the post-game costume for my daughter

Well, it took a 2.5 hour detour on the way to Sicily, but I got the chance to see the Cattolica di Stilo, a 9th century and fairly eccentric Byzantine church situated over the town of Stilo, a hillside town in the Ionian side of the Calabrian region of southern Italy. The church is in an inscribed cross style, with 5 domes. There’s some extant frescos remaining that are pretty interesting in style, I think. They seem like a mix between Byzantine and the style I associate with Western European.