# Co-Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta (Giovinazzo)

The co-cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Giovinazzo stands on a pre-existing church dedicated to Santa Maria dell'Episcopio.
It is the mother church of the city.

## History

It is attested that the first bishop of the co-cathedral was a certain Grimoaldo or Grimaldo, around the year 1022.
The current cathedral, which stands on the site of an older building, called by the sources Santa Maria de Episcopio, was built during the 12th century in the Norman age, dating back to between 1125 (beginning of the construction of the crypt) and 1180 (completion of the upper church).
The building was consecrated only a century later, on 23 May 1283. The Romanesque cathedral had three naves divided by columns, with a trussed ceiling, false galleries and a mosaic floor. Few traces remain of this church today, due to the renovation works on the building during the eighteenth century (between 1730 and 1752 under bishop Paolo de Mercuzo), which led to the total renovation of the interiors according to the baroque taste: they belong to the ancient Romanesque church the rear façade, closed between two bell towers (of which the smallest, however, is from the seventeenth century), part of the presbytery area and the crypt.
It is known that on 16 July 1522 Duke Don Ferdinando of Capua received homage from the two mayors of the squares and the body of the Universitas (city title).
It is worth noting that some members of the noble Chyurlia family held important religious positions in the co-cathedral during the 16th century.
The city of Terlizzi was declared co-cathedral of Giovinazzo by Pope Benedict XIV due to a dispute over the acquisition of Pious Institutes between the city of Terlizzi and the prelates of Giovinazzo; the title of co-cathedral was later abolished.
The new organ dates back to 1779, commissioned by La Pegna.
On 25 April 1843 the insignia of the mozzetta of the cathedral of Giovinazzo was granted, with the cappa magna.

### Other events

In the 1970s, various ancient documents were lost due to theft in the diocese of Piglia but the Carabinieri of Puglia made a major discovery of the various manuscripts, including some of those from the co-cathedral of Giovinazzo, recovered in 2010.
On 6 January 2025, the bishop of the diocese H.E. Monsignor Domenico Cornacchia presided over the mass and opened the holy door of the Co-Cathedral.

## Description

Inside, the church has three naves divided by pillars, with a large transept, three side chapels on each side, and a large main altar. The apse is completely covered with canvases by the Giovinazzo painter Carlo Rosa from 1676, which depict Maria Assunta and other saints. In the right arm of the transept and in the presbytery area, during the restoration work of the 1990s, traces of mosaics from the ancient Romanesque flooring of the cathedral were brought to light, dating back to the end of the 12th century.
The altars of the side chapels are dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament, Santa Maria delle Grazie, Blessed Nicola Pagla, the Crucifix, Santa Maria di Loreto and San Francesco Saverio. The most important is the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, built in 1768 by Gennaro Sammartino and Crescenzo Tronchese. Of particular historical-artistic value are two panels: one from the thirteenth century, of Byzantine workmanship, depicting the Madonna of Corsignano; and the other fifteenth-century one depicting the Redeemer.

### The organs

An ancient organ could be found above the presbytery in the altar of the royal chapel, according to the documents written in a pastoral visit of Bishop Joannes Antolinez Brizianos de la Ribeira.
The current organ of the Giovinazzo cathedral dates back to the 15th century. XVII, from the year 1724, commissioned by the bishop mons. Giacinto Gaetano Chiurlia (or Chyurlia), replacing an earlier one, dated 15th century. XV.
Monsignor Paolo de Mercurio, who succeeded Bishop Chiurlia, in 1741, through his money and that of Monte dello Spoglio (view as Mount of piety, it was a local Christian religious credit institution of the time, still extinct), built a new organ in Bari to be placed in the co-cathedral.
It was restored for the first time by Luigi Mentasti in the 19th century.
The organ was restored a second time, in recent times by Pagliarulo Pierfrancesco, taking it to Castellana Grotte, between the years 2002-2003.

### The crypt

The cathedral of Giovinazzo has an extensive and very ancient crypt, in fact the remains of pre-Christian capitals were found around a robbery that occurred in May 1898.

### The scrolls

The archive present in the crypt of the Giovinazzo co-cathedral contained a number of 1437 parchments, drawn up and rearranged for the first time by two local scholars, in 1958.
Over the years, other researchers found other parchments and only in 2002 were they organized and cataloged in a summary sheet.

### The tombstones

From the left nave you go down into the crypt, the oldest part of the cathedral. It is made up of 10 bare columns and 12 pillars protruding from the perimeter walls. Tombstones are present in the walls and floor; among these that of the young Antonio Sindolfi of 1386.
There is also a tomb of a knight, one Enrico Zurolo (or Zurlo), belonging to the noble Zurolo family of the same name. On the Terragna tombstone we read: D.O.M. | HENRICO ZVRVLO FORMER CAPYTIORVM PARTENOPEA | FAMILIA QUEM PRAETER | NOBILISSISSI GENERIS VETVSTATEM FIDES | COSTANTIA VITA INTEGRITAS DECORARVNT | NI. ANT. I.V.D. ET ABBAS HIERON | FILII PIESS PATRI OPT. PP. MDXLII VIX AN. LXIII | VSQUE AD DIEM NOVISSIMVM.

### Restorations

On 24 July 2022, the chapel of the crucifix was reopened to the public after a Eucharistic celebration and the works of art were also relocated to their main places in the minor altar.
From February 2023 until mid-June 2024, important restoration works on the attic of the co-cathedral were initiated, using the 8 x 1000 funds intended for the Roman Catholic Church.