Basilicas in Italy—Basilicata

I blogged about the following basilica on November 13, 2019.

• The Cathedral Basilica of the Virgin of the Assumption and St. Gerardo in Potenza.

Basilica of St. Blaise, Maratea, Potenza

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1940.

The church was built in the 6th or 7th Century on the site of a Roman temple. Since 732, it has held the mortal remains of St. Blaise.  Originally Romanesque, it now has Baroque, Tuscan, and Gothic elements following several renovations and enlargements.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Mary and St. Canius, Acerenza, Potenza

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1956.

The Basilica is the Cathedral for the Archdiocese of Acerenza.  A previous church here was built on the site of a Roman temple.  This church was built between the 11th and 13th Centuries in a Romanesque-Gothic style.  It has been restored at least twice due to earthquakes.  Some works of art date to the 16th Century.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Mary, Melfi, Potenza

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1958.

The Basilica is the Cathedral for the Diocese of Melfi-Rapolla-Venosa.  The Normans built the church between 1076 and 1153 in a Norman Romanesque style, but only the bell tower remains from this building.  Earthquakes have taken their toll.  A major Baroque renovation was done in the 1700s.  The Cathedral has a Madonna of uncertain age but could date to Roman times.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Mary, Matera, Matera

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1962.

The Basilica is the Cathedral for the Archdiocese of Matera-Irsina.  It was built in a Romanesque style between 1203 and 1270.  The interior was given a make-over in a Baroque style in the 17th and 18th Centuries.  The church has a fresco featuring the Madonna and Child from 1270, carved wooden choir stalls from 1453, and other works of art.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Holy Mount of Viggiano, Viggiano, Potenza

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1965.

The church was built in the 14th Century to house a Black Madonna that is thought to date to the early days of Christianity.

The top picture is from TripAdvisor and the other two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Giles, Latronico, Potenza

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1971.

The church was built in the 16th Century to house a statue of St. Giles that had just been carved.  Earthquakes in the 19th Century devastated the church, but it was reconstructed by 1859.

From TripAdvisor.

Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady, Contrada Anglona, Matera

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1999.

The Romanesque church was built on a hill between the 11th and 12th Centuries as an expansion of an 8th Century church.  The church is the only remaining structure from the old city of Anglona which was otherwise destroyed in a 1369 fire.  The church was once the cathedral for a now-suppressed diocese.  The church has an 18th Century Madonna, although veneration of Our Lady goes back centuries at this location.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Carmel, Avigliano, Potenza

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1999.

The church was likely built in the 9th Century but was not completed until 1583.  More work was done in the 19th Century and the church currently has Baroque and Neoclassical features.

Pictures are from Flickr, TripAdvisor, and Wikipedia.