The Cattedrale di Sant’ Andrea/Duomo di Amalfi located in the Piazza del Duomo is a cathedral built in the 9th century and is dedicated to the late apostle St. Andrew. When I first walked inside I was greeted by a wooden 13th century crucifix that hangs in the liturgical area. As I begin to look around, another crucifix is hanging at the right side of the back door. What makes this crucifix unique is that it was brought from the Holy land and made out of the mother-of-pearl. The central nave, known as the “High Altar” is formed from the sarcophagus of Pietro Capuano, an archbishop who passed away in 1214. The minute I looked above the altar, I was approached by the Andrea dell’ Asta painting of the Martyrdom of St. Andrew. The arcs were held by two long Egyptian granite columns. Aside from these columns, there were two additional columns and pupils that were a part of the 12th century ambo. Two of the pillars among these columns possess a hidden column that represents the ancient Romanesque structure.
The Gothic structure represented inside this cathedral, is laid out in a cruciform shape with clustered columns and pointed ribbed vaults that are organized within diagonal arches. I found out that the churches with the Gothic structure are extremely decorated and contain several stain glass windows that are used to admit light inside the church and inside the gargoyles. The Byzantine structure focuses on the geometric complexity, brick, plaster that was used in the important structures decorations. For example, classical orders were used more often and freely, carved decorations were replaced by mosaics, and window light was filtered through the thin sheets providing a soft illuminating interior.
During the late 17th century the marble pieces were displayed in more classic paintings portraying the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. Religious pop art pieces were represented as theatrical images in propaganda and in architecture. Techniques such as emotions were viewed to be exaggerated in Southern Italy compared to the North Side of Italy because of the easily interpretation detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance in various forms, such as in sculptures, paintings, architecture, literature, dance, theatre, and music.
Therefore, being able to compare and contrast the variety of churches located within Viterbo and the Southern part of Italy have made me realize that all the styles differ depending on what town, city, or region you are visiting. I also realized that each church has a different architecture that makes it unique to anything that I have ever seen before in the United States.
Selyna Bermudez: sono una studentessa dell’Università del Nevada, Las Vegas. Il mio indirizzo è il giornalismo con studi sui media e sui servizi umani. Questa estate sto studiando in Italia a Viterbo con USAC. Ho scelto una piccola città, per vivere la tranquillità e le bellezze che offre. Essere una parte di essa mi permetterà di esplorare la mia scrittura e dare voce a ciò che vedo. Sono felice di iniziare questo viaggio straordinario di scrittura!
