Matera, Italy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matera is a town and a province in the region of Basilicata, sometimes referred to as Lucania, in the south of Italy.
Apart from an economy which has traditionally been based on agriculture, in the late 1990s the major economic base of Matera, and of surrounding cities, is the production of upholstery furniture.
The town lays over a small canyon, which has been dug in the course of years by a small water stream, the Gravina.
[edit] History
The area of what is now Matera was settled since the Palaeolithic. During the Greek expansion, it housed exiles from Metapontum and Heraclea (whence the origin of the name, "Met"+"Era"). The city was allegedly founded by the Romans in the 3rd century BCE, with the name of Metheola after the consul Lucius Caecilius Metellus.
In 664 CE Matera was conquered by the Lombards and became part of the Duchy of Benevento. In the 7th and 8th centuries the nearby grottos were colonized by both Benedictine and Greek-Orthodox monastic institutions.
The 9th and 10th centuries were characterized by the struggle between Saracens, Byzantines and the German emperors, including Louis II, who destroyed the city. After the settlement of the Normans in Apulia, Matera was ruled by William Iron-Arm from 1043.
After a short communal phase and a series of pestilences and earthquakes, the city in the 15th century became an Aragonese possession, and was given in fief to the Tramontano family. In 1514, however, the population, rebelled against the oppression and killed count Giovanni Carlo Tramontano. In the 17th century Matera was handed over to the Orsini and then became part of the Terre d'Otranto di Puglia; later it was capital of Basilicata, a position it retained until 1806, when Joseph Bonaparte gave it to Potenza.
In 1927 it became capital of province. On September 21, 1943, the Materani rose against the German occupation, the first Italian city to fight against the Wehrmacht.
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[edit] Main sights
[edit] The "Sassi"
Matera has gained international fame for its ancient town, the so-called "Sassi di Matera" (meaning "stones of Matera"). The Sassi originate from a prehistorical (troglodyte) settlement, and are suspected to be some of the first human settlements in Italy.
The "Sassi" are houses dug into the rock itself, known as "Tuffo", which is characteritic of Basilicata and Puglia. Many of these "houses" are really only caverns, and the streets in some parts of the "Sassi" often are located on the rooftops of other houses. The ancient town grew in height on one slope of the ravine created by a river that is now all but a small stream. The ravine is known locally as, "la Gravina".
In the 1950s, the government of Italy forcefully relocated most of the population of the Sassi to areas of the developing modern city. However, people did continue to still live in the Sassi, and according to the English Fober's guide:
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| Matera is the only place in the world where people can boast to be still living in the same houses of their ancestors of 9,000 years ago.
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Until the late 1980s this was considered an area of poverty, since these houses were, and in most areas still, mostly unlivable. Current local administration, however, has become more tourism-oriented, and has promoted the re-generation of the "Sassi" with the aid of the European Union, the government, UNESCO, and even Hollywood!! Today there are many thriving businesses, pubs, and hotels.
One of the benefits of the ancient city, is that there is a great similarity in the look of the Sassi with that of ancient sites in and around Jerusalem. And this is what has caught the eye of film directors and the big studios.
[edit] Monasteries & Churches
Like every city or town in Italy, Matera has its fair number of churches. However, nowhere else in Italy, and possibly even the world, will you be able to see such a diverse collection of buildings related to the Christian faith. Some even believe that the very first "churches" ever used for worship were formed in the slopes of the surrounding ravine.
The Cathedral(1270)is certainly worth a visit, and has been dedicated to Santa Maria della Bruna since 1389. Built in an Apulian-Romanesque architectural style, the church has a 52m tall bell tower, and next to the main gate is a statue of the Maria della Bruna, backed by those of Sts. Peter and Paul. The main feature of the façade is however the rosette window, divided by sixteen small columns. The interior is on the Latin cross plan, with a nave and two aisles. The decoration is mainly from the 18th century Baroque restoration, but recently a Byzantine-style fresco portraying the Final Judgment (14th century) has been discovered.
There are many other churches and monasteries dating back all throughout the history of the Christian church. Some are very simple caves with a single alter and maybe a fresco, often located on the opposite side of the ravine. Some are complex cave networks with large underground chambers, thought to have been used for meditation by the Rupestric and Cenobitic monks. The amazing thing is that these places of such hugely significant historical interest are completely open to all who dare to go exploring.
[edit] Other ancient remains
The Tramontano Castle that was started to be built in the early 16th century by Gian Carlo Tramontano, Count of Matera, is probably the only other structure that is above ground of any great significance outside of the sassi. However, the construction remained unfinished after his assassination in the popular riot of December 29, in 1514. It has three large towers, of the twelve probably included in the original design. During some restoration work in the main square of the town, workers came across what is believed to be the main footings for another one of the towers. However, on further excavation another true wonder of the city was discovered.
Large Roman cisterns were unearthed under this tower of the castle. In fact, whole house structures were discovered where one can truly see how the people of that era lived. The most amazing discovery, however, was an underground reservoir, complete with columns and a vaulted ceiling, right under the main square of the modern city. It's believed to be large enough to put a boat on it, anyone familiar with the film version of the science fiction book "Dune", will have an idea of the type of thing that's down there. Nowadays it's protected and closed off to the public, and only ever opened for special occasions, and even then the area leading the reservoir is usually out of bounds. It's a shame, but something that unique does need looking after.
[edit] Culture
Because of the ancient and primitive scenery in and around the Sassi, it has been used by film makers as the setting for ancient Jerusalem. The following famous biblical period movies were filmed in Matera:
Other famous movies filmed in the city include:
A famous chapter on Matera, describing the really poor life of people in the south of Italy at the beginning of the twentieth century, is in the book Cristo si è fermato a Eboli (Christ stopped at Eboli) by Carlo Levi, also turned into a film.
[edit] External links
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