Cattedrale di San Sabino
Bari
The Cattedrale di San Sabino is the city's main place of worship and one of the finest expressions of Apulian Romanesque. Less famous than the nearby Basilica di San Nicola, it holds an austere charm and a precious crypt, in a quiet corner of Bari Vecchia.
History
The cathedral was built between the late 12th and early 13th centuries on the ruins of the earlier Byzantine cathedral, destroyed in 1156 during the sack of Bari ordered by William I "the Bad". It is dedicated to San Sabino, a 6th-century bishop of Canosa, whose relics are kept here. Although it is the mother church of the diocese, it was long overshadowed by the fame of the nearby Basilica di San Nicola. The builders took up the stylistic features already established there, strengthening the plain, essential language of Apulian Romanesque.
What to see
The façade, divided by pilasters and crowned by a large rose window finely decorated with monstrous figures, opens onto an interior with three naves separated by columns. On the left side stands the unusual Trulla, an old baptistery that is cylindrical outside and twelve-sided inside, used as a sacristy since the 18th century. The crypt, in Baroque style, holds the relics of the patron saint and the precious icon of the Madonna Odegitria, considered the city's protector and deeply venerated by the people of Bari.
Curiosities
Something remarkable happens around the summer solstice: sunlight filtering through the rose window of the façade projects onto the floor a pattern that almost perfectly matches the rose window itself, a sign of the refined skill of the medieval builders. Beneath the cathedral, excavations have uncovered remains of early Christian buildings, mosaic floors and traces of the ancient city, which can be visited along the route of the Museo Diocesano.
How to visit
The cathedral stands in the heart of the Città Vecchia, the old town, a few steps from the Castello Svevo and the Basilica di San Nicola. Entry to the church is free, while the excavation area and the "succorpo", the underground level, may require a ticket. It is also worth spending time in the Museo Diocesano, which holds the Exultet, a precious illuminated medieval liturgical scroll, a unique witness to Apulian figurative culture. An essential stop on the treasure map for anyone who wants to get to know medieval Bari.
