Barletta
Link to the Magnificent Cathedrals of Puglia
The Wagon Wheel Rose Windows of Puglia's Cathedrals
Map and summary notes on Puglia Cathedrals
Charles V's fort (1530s) built on the site of the earlier Frederick II / Manfred fort, which was an assembly point for participants in the Third Crusade around 1190, faces the apse of the Norman Cathedral dating from the 1100s with two subsequent enlargements and a 1743 octagonally spired campanile at its side, all restored in 1996.
The Third Crusade's awful King Richard is remembered in a Duomo inscription for helping to build it, though in fact he is better remembered for monstering Tancred's Sicily over the winter of 1190.
The church is an odd looking combination of the two dominant Puglian church roofing styles - basilica on the right and Benedictine Abbey style domes on the left - the Trani look-alike campanile was a much later addition.
At the feet of a giant - This bronze statue of an unknown Byzantine Emperor from the 300s or 400s was probably part of the loot captured by the Fourth Crusade from Constantinople in 1203. Actually, it was just the head and torso that ended up in Barletta via a shipwreck, and the arms and legs were added by the locals in the 1400s to make the statue more interesting for late medieval tourists! The 5m+ statue, especially the original bit, is the only one of its type in existence. It was restored in 1980. The attractive portico on the right belongs to the church of San Sepolcro - also completely restored (in 1972).
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All original material © Adrian Fletcher 2000-08 - The contents may not be hotlinked, or reproduced without permission.