Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Chiesa di San Francesco

The original settlement of Matera lies in two canyons carved by the Gravina River. This area, the Sassi di Matera, is a complex of cave dwellings carved into the ancient river canyon. The settlement is divided into the districts of Sasso Barisano and Sasso Caveoso. The cave settlements in the area are an exceptional example in the Mediterranean area. Inhabited since the Neolithic Age, Matera can be considered one of the oldest cities in the world. According to Greek, Roman, Langobard and Byzantine history, which Matera shares with all of southern Italy, Saracens devastated the place in 938. It came under Norman rule in 1043, became a royal seat and thus achieved considerable wealth. This bloom continued under the subsequent regiments of the Staufer and Anjou, in 1270 the cathedral of Matera was completed. Already by the late 1800s, Matera's cave dwellings became noted for intractable poverty, poor sanitation, meager working conditions, and rampant disease. In 1948, when the city was hit by malaria, 15,000 people lived in 3,300 rooms. From the 1950s on the residents were relocated to newly built apartment blocks. Since the Sassi are now a museum town, tourism is also becoming increasingly important. Known as la città sotterranea ("the underground city"), the Sassi and the park of the Rupestrian Churches were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. In 2019, Matera was declared a European Capital of Culture. Today Matera has a population of about 60.000, who live in the city "above" the sassi. The church is the only building that has survived of a monastic complex that was demolished in the 1950s. The Franciscan community settled in Matera in the 13th century and began to erect the first, small church around 1250. The nucleus of the church was an ancient hypogean church. The church has undergone numerous transformations. It got enlarged in the 15th century, to assume its current state in the 18th century.

The original settlement of Matera lies in two canyons carved by the Gravina River. This area, the Sassi di Matera, is a complex of cave dwellings carved into the ancient river canyon. The settlement is divided into the districts of Sasso Barisano and Sasso Caveoso. The cave settlements in the area are an exceptional example in the Mediterranean area. Inhabited since the Neolithic Age, Matera can be considered one of the oldest cities in the world. According to Greek, Roman, Langobard and Byzantine history, which Matera shares with all of southern Italy, Saracens devastated the place in 938. It came under Norman rule in 1043, became a royal seat and thus achieved considerable wealth. This bloom continued under the subsequent regiments of the Staufer and Anjou, in 1270 the cathedral of Matera was completed. Already by the late 1800s, Matera's cave dwellings became noted for intractable poverty, poor sanitation, meager working conditions, and rampant disease. In 1948, when the city was hit by malaria, 15,000 people lived in 3,300 rooms. From the 1950s on the residents were relocated to newly built apartment blocks. Since the Sassi are now a museum town, tourism is also becoming increasingly important. Known as la città sotterranea ("the underground city"), the Sassi and the park of the Rupestrian Churches were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. In 2019, Matera was declared a European Capital of Culture. Today Matera has a population of about 60.000, who live in the city "above" the sassi. The church is the only building that has survived of a monastic complex that was demolished in the 1950s. The Franciscan community settled in Matera in the 13th century and began to erect the first, small church around 1250. The nucleus of the church was an ancient hypogean church. The church has undergone numerous transformations. It got enlarged in the 15th century, to assume its current state in the 18th century with the construction of the baroque facade.

Trani may have been founded by Greek settlers, but the known history starts late. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it was dominated by Lombards, Byzantines, Saracens and again Byzantines. With the conquest of southern Italy by the Normans and after 50 days of siege by Robert Guiscard´s troops, Trani became part of the Norman Empire in 1073. Already under the Byzantines, Trani had become an important port for trade with the Orient. The heyday was in the time of the crusades in the 12th and 13th centuries, when crusaders and merchants mainly went to the Holy Land from Bari and Trani. It became an episcopal see in place of Canosa, destroyed by the Saracens. Frederick II promoted the Teutonic Knights and the Jewish community and built a massive castle. Under his rule, the city reached its highest point of wealth and prosperity. The church, once dedicated to the Holy Trinity and consecrated in 1184, was founded by Benedictines. The buildings of the adjacent monastery now host the municipal library. The monastery was located outside the city walls at that time, but neighbouring a busy street and part of an urban agglomeration. Emperor Frederick II enlarged the city walls within the 13th century so that the church and the surrounding area were within the walls at the entrance of the city. In 1537 the church and the monastery passed from the Benedictines to the Franciscans, after the old Franciscan convent had been destroyed during the Franco-Spanish wars. The church then changed its name, assuming the current one. The church is one of the well-preserved Apulian Romanesque churches with three domes, like San Corrado di Molfetta.

We reached the center of Narni from the carpark, down in the valley, via two elevators. As soon as we had stepped out we felt like in an enchanted place. Fog was all around us. We reached our room - and watched the mystic sunset from the window. We could hardly make out the outlines of the former monastery and the Chiesa di San Francesco, just a few metres away. At that time we did not know, that Narni had a special treat for us that night.

We woke up - music and rythm still in our heads. The sun had risen and the fog, that had covered us overnight, was slowly thinning. I could take a photo of the Chiesa di San Francesco now after sunrise from the same pov, I had taken a shot at sunset the evening before.