habitat rupestre.pdf - Società Friulana di Archeologia

CLASSIFICATION OF RUPESTRIAN SETTLEMENTSCRHIMA-CINP projectThe monogram of the Greek letter Φ with a horizontal lineforming a cross is very common in rupestrian settlements. Itcan be found in churches, as the monumental monogram onthe ceiling of a rupestrian church near Göreme (Cappadocia),or in habitations, as in the ruined settlements near the rupestrianchurch of Saint John, in the area of Statte (Taranto).Sometimes, the monogram is simplified with the letter Φ withoutthe horizontal line forming the cross. This may suggestthat the symbol is used in an apotropaic form, as a protectionagainst evil. The pentalpha, the five pointed star, is anotherapotropaic symbol: it was carved on King Solomon’sring, so the believers carved it on the walls of many rupestrianchurches.While its apotropaic meaning is clear, the religious meaning ofthe pentalpha is mysterious, though there must be one, since itwas used in many churches or sanctuaries for pilgrimage, as inthe rupestrian church of Saint Lucy in Palagianello.The Monogram “Christ is light” was essentially a statement offaith: “I think that Christ is the light of the world”; this is themeaning of the monogram in cell of Santeramo, which wascarved by an anchorite.Another hermitage in Santeramo has been recently under investigation:a very rare Jerusalem Cross is carved on its walls,a symbol with a very deep meaning that could only be knownby a high cultured monk.Drawing the conclusion of this paragraph, it is proper to remindthe Hermit’s cave in the ravine Petruscio, Mottola. Probably,hermits reused a cave after the village was abandoned inthe 14th century; they may have been settled there for a longperiod, since the toponym remained up until today. This caveis also known as De Rosa’s cave, after the name of an outlawwho used it as a shelter.The hypothesis of a reuse by hermits may be confuted, becausethe cave is relatively isolated from the village, so it might havebeen realized directly for ascetic purposes. This cave requiresdeep reflections, because it has the characteristics of a fortifiedresidence: there is no entrance, but only a window (cm 120 x70) with carved crosses on its jambs.A bigger cross is inside the cave, on the back wall, where threesemicircular niches are placed. The room is very regular andrefined: it is 5.30 m long, 2.15 m wide and 2.20 m high. It as asmall separated toilette (which is very uncommon), with a gutterto channel off the liquid sewage directly to the ravine. Thisprecaution might have been suggested by decency but alsoby the necessity of resisting to a long siege. Rupestrian sitesare not apart from the Apulian history: Mottola was sackedmany times between 1102 and 1356, when it was completelydestroyed.Rupestrian villages were not exempted from destructionsand massacres: this is the reason for the existence of fortifiedcaves. This happened also to the famous “Pharmacy ofthe Magician” in the village Madonna della Scala (Massafra),when the fusion of four different rupestrian habitations transformedit into a small monastery.MonasteriesCappadocia is the land of big rupestrian monasteries: manymonumental settlements for men and women are annexed torichly decorated churches. The intensity of the Oriental monasticlife brought to highly populated monasteries: a modernexample is the monastery on the Mount Athos.There is no information about recent studies in Egypt, whereChristian monks were active since the 4th century.Monasticism in Europe was prevalently Benedictine, so rupestrianmonasteries are rare or not recognized. The few existingare not as monumental as the ones in Cappadocia.Some modest rupestrian monasteries are in Puglia, Matera,Mottola, Massafra, and their study is just begun.ChurchesChurches are the most studied rupestrian monuments; in Puglia,they have been studied since the last decades of the 19thcentury, in Cappadocia, since the Thirties of the 20th century.Studies were brought by Art Historians, so they were mainlyfocused on painted art; architecture was scarcely investigated,and aniconic churches were ignored.Today, archaeologists and architects have conducted researchesthat brought many results.Chronology: the previous concept of dating a church throughits most ancient painting has been surpassed; many churchesin Puglia and in Cappadocia are from the Late Antiquity orEarly Middle Age.Some examples: a church in the village of Madonna della Scala(Massafra, 6th century); the churches of Saint Mark andSaint Marina (Massafra, 7th/8th century); some churches inGrottaglie and Matera (10th century).Typology: many rupestrian churches are very simple, witha single nave and an apse, or with two naves and two apses(Madonna delle sette lampade, Mottola); there are some examplesof inscribed Greek cross planimetries (the Saviour inGurdigliano – Lecce, and Saint Gregory, Mottola).It is difficult to understand the original structure of manychurches because of the successive interventions that havemodified them.The most devastating interventions occurred when the churcheswere improperly reused after their abandon.Many churches have an iconostasis, even if they were not underthe Oriental rite: this is the case of Saint Simine in Pantaleo(Massafra), Saint Catherine (Taranto) and Saint Procopio(Monopoli).volumeRicerca_OK_2012-11-15.indd 46 16/11/2012 15:01:04