Duomo di Ravello (Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta)

Ravello Cathedral is an 11th-century basilica dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta. Its medieval fittings include bronze doors cast by Barisano da Trani in 1179, two carved marble pulpits and a chapel preserving the blood relic of San Pantaleone.

Why it matters

The cathedral reflects Ravello's medieval wealth and its close ties with merchant families such as the Rufolo and Muscettola. Declared a national monument in 1941, it remains a working church and a central landmark of the town.

What to notice

The bronze doors, commissioned by Sergio Muscettola, have eighty panels: fifty-four figurative and twenty-six decorative. Two marble pulpits face one another inside. The Epistle ambo, commissioned by the Rogadeo family in the first half of the 12th century, has mosaic-inlaid panels depicting the story of Jonah. The Gospel pulpit dates to 1272 and was commissioned by the Rufolo family. Fragments of Matteo di Narni's 1279 ciborium survive; it was dismantled in 1773. The Chapel of San Pantaleone, begun in 1631, preserves the patron saint's blood relic, which local tradition says liquefies around the feast.

Context and history

In the mid-18th century the cathedral was in poor condition. Under Bishop Chiarelli, the interior was remodelled in Baroque style: a barrel vault was added, columns were encased and the Gospel pulpit shortened. Later restorations returned the naves to their Romanesque appearance while retaining the Baroque transept. Gino Chierici reworked the facade in 1931, and restorations from 1973 onward renewed the naves and pulpits. A new organ by the Bevilacqua workshop was installed on the counter-facade.