Things to see · Churches and sanctuaries
Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, Tursi
Tursi (Matera)
Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, Tursi is in Tursi, 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
Church of Santa Maria Maggiore stands in the Rabatana, the oldest district of Tursi. It is one of the oldest churches in Basilicata: in 968 it was the first cathedral of the diocese of Tursi.
History
The church dates back to the 10th-11th century, while the crypt is even older. Over the centuries it has been restored several times: today it has a 15th-century façade and a Baroque interior with three naves and a coffered ceiling. In 1546 it became a Collegiata Insigne (a distinguished collegiate church).
What to see
• The stone nativity scene (presepe in pietra) created between 1547 and 1550 and attributed to Altobello Persio of Montescaglioso, in the De Giorgiis family chapel.
• The frescoes in the chapel, with saints and Latin inscriptions, attributed to Giovanni Todisco.
• The 14th-century triptych with the Madonna and Child enthroned and scenes from the life of Jesus.
• The crypt, with three small rooms, an altar dedicated to Mary Magdalene and a stone sarcophagus.
• The baptismal font in carved stone, the 1518 holy water stoup and a wooden crucifix.
Useful information
• To see the nativity scene and the crypt, it is best to check in advance at the parish or at the Town Hall (Comune).
• It is reached on foot by climbing the «petrizze», the staircase of the Rabatana.
