I’d wanted to see the inside of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Atri for a long time.
Going to Atri is the obvious first step. But I’d been there at least three times and each time the cathedral was closed for restoration.
This time there were no signs of any work going on but the doors were appeared to be locked. After wandering around the building trying doors without success my wife encouraged me to ask someone.
This was a winning suggestion because it gave me an excuse to try my Italian. Asking about access to the cathedral is only part of the process. My wife knows that I’ll try to turn it into a conversation about what else we should visit, where we should eat and what are the local specialities.
So off I went brimming with enthusiasm to the nearest friendly shop. In my experience they’re all friendly. I picked one that sells ceramics and the woman there greeted me with excellent English! Ah well, I may not have had a chance to practice but she did tell me that the cathedral was open and the side door on the wall facing the shop was the way in.
It didn’t disappoint. It was built on the remains of an earlier Romanesque church. Outside you can see the impressive 56 metre high bell tower. But I’d seen that before. It was what was inside that excited me – the frescoes by the 15th century Abruzzese painter Andrea de Litio.
He is one of the region’s most important painters and the fresco cycle in the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Atri is considered his masterpiece. (I understand that an example of his work can be found in the New York Metropolitan Museum.)
It wasn’t possible for me to get close enough to the frescoes to take detailed photographs as they were roped off, but I hope the examples I have in this post give you a feel for the scale of the work and the significance of the cathedral.
After searching a bit I found these detailed photographs of the frescoes that decorate the apse and the columns.
All the frescoes are attributed to Andrea de Litio and all the photographs were taken by Giovanni Lattanzi. If you are interested in Abruzzo and/or photography I recommend having a look at the photographs Giovanni Lattanzi has taken of the many other places worth visiting in the region.
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