The Church of the Mermaids?

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We’re a bit slow off the mark after a long day of travelling yesterday. Sleep also proved a bit elusive; Monopoli felt very much like a party town at 2am as we struggled in vain to get some shuteye.

I head out for an aimless wander along the waterfront past the old city walls. There are some rusty old cannons sitting on the section in front of our apartment which perhaps hints a bit at their history. They were apparently built in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries when Muslim pirates started getting a bit unfriendly towards the locals. Shortly afterwards they then also helped keep out the Spanish Armada during a three month siege, which seems like an impressive effort for such a small town. Next up is the port - the harbour’s well protected by large breakwaters and houses a large flotilla of serious looking fishing boats.

Next stop is the Church of Santa María Amalfitana. The story goes that the crypt here was built by some sailors from Amalfi. They turned to the Virgin for help during a storm way back in 1059, and apparently turned an existing cave into the crypt in gratitude for being saved. The church itself was then built in the twelfth century, over the crypt, also by the Amalfitans. It was apparently stripped of most of its decoration during restoration works in the 1930s, so it looks a bit stark; even the altar’s gone. The crypt still feels a bit like a cave. The ceiling’s really low and looks from a few millimetres away like it might be covered in ancient frescoes. If our apartment had a washing machine I might have been tempted to lie on the floor (of the crypt that is, not the apartment; I think the apartment floor’s quite clean) to get a proper look at them.

If the number of festive looking lights and other paraphernalia here are anything to go by it seems we may have landed here in the middle of a feast. A bit of research reveals that we can indeed expect quite a bit of feastly activity over the next few days. The locals will be celebrating the Madonna della Madia icon which resides in the town's Cathedral, Maria Sentissima della Madia. The icon’s thought to have come here from Constantinople back in 1107. The story goes that Monopoli's bishop was trying to build a new Cathedral, but the works came to a halt when he couldn’t find enough wood for the roof beams. No problem there however, a local woke him up in the middle of the night and told him that a whole bunch of suitable beams had just turned up on a raft in the harbour. And how did he know this, well he’d dreamt it. The bishop, perhaps unsurprisingly, told him to go back to bed. But our dreamer persisted, and sure enough when the two of them went down to the dock, there was the raft floating in laden with timber, accompanied by the icon. The Cathedral seems quite large for such a relatively small town. The icon appears to be the main attraction, and is on display in a roped off area behind the altar.

Next up is the Church of Saint Mary of Suffrage, which is also known as the Church of Purgatory, and The Church of the Walking Dead. One reviewer claims it was built was because of “a church bell which killed 40 people in 1686”. I can’t find too much to back this up, or indeed more detail about this alleged incident, but I assume the bell must have fallen on them. It must have been some bell …. and some very unlucky people. I guess the story might be true. The church is unbelievably gruesome for somewhere that’s supposed to be a place of loving worship. There are skeletons on the facade, plus the standout - a room full of the mummified bodies of some of the churchmen, with their skulls sticking up out of blue robed skeletons. I think I need fresh air …. and a drink.

We head out in search of dinner. We pass a few former churches that have now been converted into art galleries, which is I suppose what happens in a town with an oversupply of places of worship. Most of the art work’s excellent, albeit fairly conventional. The notable exception is a large thirty something lady dressed in a bikini, draped across some chairs in front of the what probably used to be the altar. She’s not looking overly impressed with the artist. Artist person’s sitting in front of her slathering her with blue paint in a vain attempt to make her look like a mermaid. It’s surely only a matter of time until the roof falls in.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Italy
I love cafe scenes.

[DaveandIssy]

Cafes
No shortage in Monopoli, or Italy in general. Thx for reading.

[RENanDREW]

Gorgeous!
Love your photos - it looks like a charming place. Looked in vain for a photo of the bikini 'mermaid' in blue paint though :)

[DaveandIssy]

Mermaid
Unfortunately wasn't able to get snap of her ....