Salerno - Cattedrale di Salerno

Salerno (pop. ~ 130.000) is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. The site has been one of the most important and strategic ports on the Mediterranean sea, yielding a rich Greco-Roman heritage. It was an independent Lombard principality in the early Middle Ages. The Normans in 1077 made Salerno the capital of their rule in all of southern Italy. In the 16th century, under the Sanseverino family, among the most powerful feudal lords in southern Italy, the city became a center of learning, culture, and the arts.

Salerno has been the seat of an archbishop since 983 and the city's medical school is famous for being the first college or "university" of medieval Europe.
The construction of the Cathedral was begun by Robert Guiscard in 1076. This was just three years after the Normans took over the city, which had previously been under Lombard rule for more than 400 years. The church, built on an early Christian church, that was built on the ruins of a Roman temple, was consecrated in 1084 and completed in 1085.

Due to the short construction time, cracks formed repeatedly in the building over the centuries. After severe damage from an earthquake in 1688, the cathedral was restored with baroque alterations. In the 20th century, attempts were made to reconstruct the original facade.

The bronze Door of the church was cast in Constantinople in 1099. It is made up of 54 panels mostly depicting Byzantine crosses. There is also the icon of two griffins drinking from a baptismal font. Although today the door has a greenish color typical of ancient bronze, it was once covered in gold and silver. Flanking the bronze door are prayers to St. Matthew in Armenian and Greek characters, and only recently deciphered.

Details of this door.