Concattedrale di San Nicola: Co-Cathedral of Muro Lucano, Italy
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.8
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Italy
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Byzantine
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Cathedral
On this page6 sections
History
The Concattedrale di San Nicola is an active Roman Catholic church in Muro Lucano, Italy, and the town’s principal place of worship. Erected around 1009, it was consecrated by Bishop Roberto in 1169. Its dedication is associated with Saint Nicholas of Bari, the Christian saint traditionally linked to the church.
From medieval church to co-cathedral
The church served as the religious centre of Muro Lucano for centuries. On 30 September 1986, the Diocese of Muro Lucano was fully united with the sees of Potenza and Marsico Nuovo through the decree Instantibus votis, issued by the Congregation for Bishops, the Roman Catholic body concerned with episcopal appointments and diocesan organization. Following this union, San Nicola received the title of co-cathedral, a cathedral that shares the seat or status of a diocese or archdiocese with another cathedral.
Gerard Majella and later damage
The church is also associated with Gerard Majella, an eighteenth-century Italian Catholic religious figure who was later canonized as a saint. Before the Virgin Mary and the Blessed Sacrament, the consecrated Eucharistic elements in Catholic worship, he went to pray in the church. Testimony given during his beatification process states that he remained through the night in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, bowing before the altar.
The seismic events of 1980 caused severe damage to the building. Restoration is continuing, while parts of the church’s artistic heritage, including works formerly displayed there, are preserved in other churches in Muro Lucano.
Remains
Plan and architectural form
The church has a Latin-cross plan, organized around a long central axis crossed by shorter transverse arms known as transepts. Three chapels stand behind the transepts. The building is formed from simple volumes covered by pitched roofs, giving its surviving architecture a clear and restrained composition. Severe earthquake damage remains an important part of the building’s present condition, and the structure is under restoration.
Paintings and dispersed artistic heritage
Two works that formerly decorated the church were the Madonna of the Rosary by Cornelis Smet and the Baptism of Christ by Anselmo Palmieri. Both are now preserved in other churches in Muro Lucano, where they form part of the town’s continuing artistic heritage.
