Things to see · Churches and sanctuaries
Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, Irsina
Irsina (Matera)
Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, Irsina is in Irsina, province of Matera. Opening hours: Open for worship; outside services it may be closed: check with the parish. Admission: Free entry.
- Free entry.
- Open for worship; outside services it may be closed: check with the parish.
About this place
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is the main church of Irsina and houses its most famous treasure: the stone statue of Sant’Eufemia, which many scholars attribute to Andrea Mantegna.
History
The church dates back to the 13th century but was destroyed and rebuilt several times. Its current appearance dates from the rebuilding of 1777, when the Baroque facade was added. The bell tower is Romanesque at the base and Gothic in its upper part.
What to see
• The statue of Sant’Eufemia, in painted Nanto stone and about 1.70 metres tall, arrived in Irsina in 1454 as a gift from the De Mabilia family. The saint holds a small model of the city of Montepeloso, the former name of Irsina, and rests her other hand in the jaws of a lion. In 2006 it was exhibited in Mantua for the 500th anniversary of Mantegna’s death, and in 2008 at the Louvre.
• The Madonna with Child, attributed to Nicolò Pizolo, and a wooden crucifix in the style of Donatello.
• The Renaissance baptismal font and the silver reliquary containing relics of Sant’Eufemia.
• The paintings by Andrea Miglionico, the wooden choir and the 19th-century organ.
• The crypt, built in the shape of a Greek cross.
Festivities
The patron saint, Sant’Eufemia, is celebrated in mid-September, from 14 to 17 September.
Useful information
• It is an active place of worship, so visit quietly and outside of services.
• The attribution of the statue to Mantegna is supported by many scholars but not by all.
• In the historic centre you can also visit the San Francesco crypt and the Janora Civic Museum.
