habitat rupestre.pdf - Società Friulana di Archeologia

SOME SITES IN THE TARENTINE AREACRHIMA-CINP projectThe origin of the village in the ravine of San Marco is uncertain(some Roman Imperial coins from the IV century havebeen found) but it was surely populated until the XVII century,when severe floods forced the inhabitants to abandonthe village. The ravine contains important churches, as SanMarco and Santa Marina, on the eastern cliff, and the richlyfrescoed Candelora on the western cliff. Other small ravineswere populated during the late medieval age, and some arestill populated now, as Via Muro and Via La Terra.Some important rupestrian churches have been included inthe urban fabric: the hypogeal church of Sant’Antonio Abate(which probably is part of a group of rupestrian caves of theV century, when Northern African refugees reached Massafraescaping from the Vandals) and the church of San Leonardo.Out of the city, there are small settlements, as in Trovanzaand in the ravine of San Lorenzo. More, there are isolatedchurches, as San Simine in Pantaleo, San Posidonio and SantaCaterina, in the ravine having the same name, which is alsoincluded in the urban fabric.Fig. 2 Evolution of urban tissue. Massafra. (credits: )Fig. 3 San Posidonio Church called “Pozzo Carucci”. Territorio nord diMassafra. (Survey: C. Crescenzi, M. Scalzo. 1982)2. Rupestrian church in the sightseeing tourUrban churchesSant’Antonio Abate. It is in the Old Town of Massafra, underthe abandoned XIX century Hospital “M. Pagliari”. The entranceis on via Messapia, n. 7.Once, the church was on a small ravine, that later filled andthat nowadays corresponds to via Messapia. Today the complexlooks irregular, and it is constituted by the junction oftwo different rupestrian churches, that were once independentfrom one another. The hypothesis that one was officiated withthe Greek rite and the other with the Latin rite has no evidencetoday. The presence of block altar in the southern church andof a wall altar in the northern one does not prove the presenceof different rites. The walls contain house many frescoes.Northern church. Three arched niches contains: Urban V, sittingand holding a tablet with the Saints Peter and Paul withhis left hand; Saint James with the pilgrim’s cane and the pilgrim’sbag; between the second and the third niches there is apainting of Saint Anthony the Great, with the tau staff and ascroll with the inscription Abstinencia et paciencia vicit daemones(Abstinence and patience win against the demons). AnAnnunciation was painted beside the old entrance. Anotherpainting of Saint Anthony the Great is on the XVIII centuryaltar.Fig. 4 Mater Domini Church. Trovanza, Massafra. (survey: C. Crescenzi,M.Scalzo, 1982)Fig. 5 Sant’Antonio Abate Church. Interior. (photo: iccd.beniculturali.it)volumeRicerca_OK_2012-11-15.indd 154 16/11/2012 15:02:41