Benevento - Duomo

Due to its location and importance, Benevento was an important base for Roman rule in southern Italy for centuries. After the expansion of the Lombards, Benevento became the seat of Lombard dukes but repeatedly fell into dependence on the Franks and the German emperors. In 840, Benevento was occupied by the Muslims for a few years. The city has been the seat of the Archbishopric of Benevento since 969. In 1047 it fell into the hands of Norman princes with the exception of the city, which Emperor Henry III gave to Leo IX in 1053. In the 11th and 12th centuries, four councils were held in Benevento.

On February 26, 1266, in the Battle of Benevento, the Hohenstaufen Manfred, natural son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, was defeated by Charles of Anjou, after which the latter seized Apulia, Sicily, and Tuscia.

The Duomo di Benevento Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishops of Benevento. It dates back to the Longobard foundation of the Duchy of Benevento in the late 8th century, but was largely rebuilt in the 1960s after being destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II.

The massive bell tower was built beginning in 1279, as an inscription on the east facade attests. It remained largely undamaged during the bombings. Benevento Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishops of Benevento. It dates back to the Longobard foundation of the Duchy of Benevento in the late 8th century, but was largely rebuilt in the 1960s after being destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II.

The massive bell tower was built beginning in 1279, as an inscription on the east facade attests. It remained largely undamaged during the bombings. On the front of the tower is a frieze of 17 Roman stone figures, a sequence of funerary portraits.