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61-606: The abbey, mostly from 1203-1217, is a fine and very well preserved example of early Italian Gothic architecture in the Burgundian style of early-Gothic architecture , paralleled within Italy only by that of the Abbey of Fossanova . It was declared a National Monument in 1874. The abbey has a plan similar to the French contemporary ones, the entrance being a gate with a double arch. The interior has

122-586: A Benedictine church but was rebuilt entirely to meet the standards of simplicity and austerity of the Cistercians. The Cistercians built several churches throughout the Italian Peninsula, mostly in the countryside. They went as far as Sicily , where they constructed the unfinished basilica of Murgo near Lentini in the Province of Syracuse , begun in 1225. The spread of the French style of Gothic introduced by

183-406: A civic monument, financing it with a tax upon all the male inhabitants of the city, and even lowering the level of the streets around it so it would be more visible. A modified new plan adopted in 1366 called for a massive dome, as wide as the combined nave and aisles, on an octagonal base with three apses. The technical problems of building such a large dome were not solved until the 15th century with

244-501: A community of the Order in Ethiopia and train the candidates for such a community. Ghebreamlak entered, along with 12 other Ethiopian Catholic men. Within a few years of his admission to the Order, Ghebreamlak was diagnosed with incurable tuberculosis . Allowed to profess religious vows on his deathbed, he died in 1934 and was buried at Casamari. The reputation he had for holiness of life drew

305-494: A garden whose central part is occupied by a cloister, of quadrangular shape, with four galleries having a semi-cylindrical ceiling. The chapter room has nine spans and four pilaster, and is used for meetings. The church can be accessed from the cloister. It has a basilica plan with a nave and two aisles; the façade has a large external portico, while behind the altar is the choir, added in 1954 and made by Vincenzo Domenico De Donatis from Sora (1886-1969) and his sons. The windows of

366-455: A new plan by Brunelleschi . The rather plain original façade was demolished to construct the dome; the present façade was not built until the 19th century. The east end of the cathedral largely retains its original Gothic architecture. The Construction of Orvieto Cathedral occupied three centuries, from 1290 to 1591, nearly the entire span of the Gothic period. It was begun by Pope Urban IV as

427-493: A pilgrimage church to display the relic of a proclaimed miracle, the Corporal of Bolsena . The architecture of the facade is in the basic Romanesque style. In 1309, Lorenzo Maitani , an architect and sculptor from Siena, became the master-builder. He redesigned the plans to give it greater structural integrity and more unified form. The original plan of the facade was modelled after Siena Cathedral. Under Maitani It gradually became

488-507: A showcase of Gothic art; the interior and upper portions of the facade were decorated with mosaics, sculpted figures and reliefs in marble and bronze. The upper portions of the mosaics on the facade are gilded. In the interior, the most striking features are the banded polychrome columns, and the walls covered with murals. A number of churches in this period followed the style of San Francesco in Bologna and were built of red brick, plastered on

549-634: A similar municipal palace, the Palazzo Vecchio (1299–1310), though it retained many of the features of a fortress. A major example of a private Florentine palace is the Loggia della Signoria (1370s), next to the Palazzo Vecchio, whose round arches and roofline suggest the coming Renaissance. In the Kingdom of Sicily at the beginning of the 13th century, an important civil and military construction programme

610-551: Is the Right Reverend Abbot Dom Eugenio Romagnuolo , President of the Cistercian Congregation of Casamari. 41°40′16″N 13°29′13″E  /  41.671°N 13.487°E  / 41.671; 13.487 Italian Gothic architecture Italian Gothic architecture (also called temperate Gothic architecture , has characteristics that distinguish it considerably from those of

671-618: Is the regional superior of certain Orders, such as the Order of Friars Preachers Dominicans or the Carmelite friars . In this last case, the head of the whole Order is called the prior general . Among communities of friars, the second superior is called the sub-prior and his office is similar to that of the claustral prior in the Benedictine Order. In the medieval order of St. John (also known as

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732-461: The Camaldolese , Vallombrosians , Cistercians , Hirsau congregations , and other offshoots of the Benedictine Order. Monastic congregations of hermit origin generally do not use the title of abbot for the head of any of their houses, in an effort to avoid the involvement with the world the office of an abbot would entail. As a result, it is not in use for the congregation as a whole. Among them,

793-777: The Cistercian and Franciscan Orders. The Cistercian Order was founded in France in 1098 as a breakaway from the Benedictine Order , which the Cistercians considered too lax. The Cistercians were determined on a stricter following of the Rule of Saint Benedict . They built austere churches, first in the Romanesque style and then with Gothic features but with a complete absence of decoration. The Cistercians banned any form of art, sculpture, or stained glass. Bell towers were absent or very simple. Nothing

854-520: The Holy See . In 1825 Pope Pius IX officially ended the office of commendatory abbot. The monks of Casamari incorporated the Monastery of San Domenico, near Sora , under their jurisdiction in 1833. Valvisciolo Abbey , near Sermoneta , also came under their authority in 1864 . At that point Casamari, along with its dependencies , was able to establish itself as an autonomous congregation, directly subject to

915-483: The Knights Hospitaller ), a Grand Prior acted as the administrator of an order province known as a Grand Priory. These Grand Priories were joined into larger administrative units known as "Langues", which roughly encompassed all of the order properties within a single language sphere. The grand priories were sometimes subdivided into smaller priories and bailiwicks, and at the lowest level, into commanderies . While

976-501: The Premonstratensian Order , and the military orders have three kinds of priors: The Claustral prior (Latin prior claustralis ), called dean in a few monasteries, holds the first place after the abbot (or grand-master in military orders), whom he assists in the government of the monastery, functioning effectively as the abbot's second-in-charge. He has no ordinary jurisdiction by virtue of his office, since he performs

1037-726: The Trappist reform, bringing several monks for this purpose from the Trappist monastery of Buonsollazzo in Tuscany , part of the Italian Congregation of St. Bernard . At the start of the 19th century, Italy found itself invaded by the forces of the First French Empire . In the course of the Napoleonic wars , several French soldiers stopped at the abbey on May 13, 1799, when returning from

1098-479: The commendatory abbot of Casamari, thereby giving him the control of the abbey's finances. By 1623 the community had been reduced to eight monks. As a result, it joined eight other abbeys to form the Roman Congregation for their mutual support. This union lasted until 1650. In 1717, the commendatory abbot at that time, Annibale Albani , made an attempt to reform and reinvigorate the community by introducing

1159-408: The flying buttress and the arched rib vault . It also has a highly ornamented exterior, with many pinnacles and crockets, as well as great numbers of statues and reliefs. Work began in 1387, based generally on the plans of two French Cathedrals, Bourges Cathedral and Le Mans Cathedral , with the plan of a high central nave descending in steps downward over the aisles. At the same time, it followed

1220-473: The pastoral care of nearby parishes and opened a seminary . At the invitation of Pope Pius XI they began to consider expansion to foreign missions. At this point in time, Father Felix Mary Ghebreamlak , a priest of the Ethiopian Catholic Church , was directed to Casamari, due to his desire to introduce Catholic monastic life to his country. The community there accepted his request to sponsor

1281-481: The 1350s, by Francesco Talenti . The campanile is square and decorated in marble with rectilinear panelling, and follows the Italian Romanesque tradition. It was largely modelled after the older baptistery (1060–1150). The Cathedral plans were modified between 1357 and 1360 by several committees of painters, sculptors and artists, giving priority to the decoration. The City of Florence took it very seriously as

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1342-430: The 9th century as a Benedictine monastery with the same name. Initially a small community with a simple church dedicated to Saints John and Paul, the buildings were expanded in the mid-11th century by its then-Abbot Giovanni. That it became a sphere of influence for the region at that time is shown by the large number of donations it was receiving and its acquisition of many chapels in the area whose revenues contributed to

1403-480: The Benedictines, a monastery remains a priory until it is considered stable enough and large enough to be elevated to the rank of an abbey. In other Orders, like the Camaldolese and Carthusians , conventual priors are the norm and there are no abbots. (The superior of the major houses of Camaldolese nuns, however, is called an abbess .) This title, in its feminine form prioress , is used for monasteries of nuns in

1464-788: The Cistercians was resisted by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church in Rome , which preferred a return to the earlier style of architecture under Constantine the Great and of the Byzantine Empire . The first Gothic church in Rome, Santa Maria sopra Minerva , a Dominican church, was a copy of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, and was not begun until 1280. The Franciscans were founded by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1208. Their doctrine called for reaching out to

1525-493: The Dominican and Carmelite orders. An Obedientiary Prior heads a monastery created as a satellite of an abbey. When an abbey becomes overlarge, or when there is need of a monastery in a new area, the abbot may appoint a group of monks under a prior to begin a new foundation, which remains a dependency of the mother abbey until such time as it is large and stable enough to become an independent abbey of its own. A Prior Provincial

1586-670: The Holy See. Keeping their adherence to the Trappist reform, they resisted later pressures put on them at the start of the 20th century to join the Congregation of Subiaco . In 1929 the Holy See formally recognized the Congregation of Casamari, and united it with the other congregations which form the Cistercian Order (though not the Trappists). The monks began to extend their work to include

1647-467: The Italian preference for great interior space. The planning and early work involved an extraordinary number of prominent master masons from across Europe, including Jean Mignot and Nicolas de Bonaventure from Paris, Hans Parler from Germany, and a renowned Italian mathematician, Gabriele Stornaloco. Construction continued, with many interruptions, over the centuries; it was not finally completed until 1965;

1708-524: The Saints. The Basilica was in the form of a simple Latin cross, and had none of the aspirations to great height of the French Gothic style. It was built of brick, covered with plaster on the inside. The stained glass windows were reduced in size, simple and colourless. The Franciscans constructed another important church, San Francesco, Bologna , in 1236 to 1230 that was closer to the French Gothic model. It

1769-419: The abbey suffered major damage due to an assault by the army of Queen Joanna II of Naples , allied with the papacy , on the forces of Braccio da Montone which had occupied the monastic complex. The entire western wing of the abbey was destroyed in the battle. An equally major blow was soon given to the life of the monastic community in 1430, when Pope Martin V made his nephew , Cardinal Prospero Colonna ,

1830-424: The assault on Naples . They were well received by the prior , Simon Cardon, a fellow Frenchman. Nevertheless, the soldiers proceeded to sack the abbey in next days, including the church, where they broke open the tabernacle and scattered the consecrated hosts on the floor. When Cardon and five of his fellow monks went to recover the hosts, they were shot by the soldiers. Declared martyrs , they were buried within

1891-516: The best-known example is Ca' d'Oro , or "House of Gold", built between 1421 and 1444 for Marco Contarini. It featured a portico and double gallery that were originally gilded, giving the palace its name. Beginning in the second half of the 13th century, Italy produced more examples of secular Gothic architecture than other parts of Europe. The buildings were frequently constructed by the Capitano del Populo of each city, an organization that represented

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1952-419: The church are fitted with sheets of alabaster rather than glass panels. It marks the site of Cereatae, the birthplace of Caius Marius , afterwards known, as inscriptions attest, as Cereatae Marianae, having been separated perhaps by the triumvirs from the territory of Arpinum. In the early Imperial times it was an independent community. A chronicle of the abbey from the 13th century dates its founding to

2013-500: The church itself, as opposed to the abbey graveyard, however the official pronouncement was issued in Vatican only in May 2020. Soon, though, the abbey, along with most other religious communities, was suppressed by a decree of Napoleon in 1811. Within a few years, by 1814, some of the surviving monks returned to the abbey and were able to resume monastic life, now under the direct authority of

2074-417: The claustral prior is assisted by a sub-prior , who holds the third place in the monastery. In former times there were in larger monasteries, besides the prior and the sub-prior, also a third, fourth and sometimes even a fifth prior. Each of these was called circa (or circator ), because it was his duty to make the rounds of the monastery to see whether anything was amiss and whether the brethren were intent on

2135-565: The congregation there, with some 100 native monks. Foundations were also made subsequently in Brazil and the United States. The total membership of the congregation numbers some 200 monks. The abbey notes that, with the exception of the three years that they were disbanded under Napoleon, there has been a continuous monastic presence there since its founding. The Abbot of the Abbey of Casamari, as of 2017,

2196-475: The construction of a new south facade. It was richly decorated with an assortment of Gothic pinnacles and tabernacles. The most original examples of Venetian Gothic were not the churches, but the palatial residences built for the Venetian aristocrats and merchants, The Venetian Republic achieved a peak of prosperity in the 15th century, especially after the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453, which made Venice

2257-645: The construction of a series of new churches in the Venetian Gothic style, including the church of the Franciscans, Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari , begun in 1340. Built of brick, it featured three naves and an apse with six radiating chapels, and rib vaulting that sprang from massive cylindrical columns. The Dominicans also built a new church, Santi Giovanni e Paolo (15th century), with three naves separated by columns, and Gothic capitals, arches and decoration. A fire in 1419 badly damaged St Mark's Basilica , requiring

2318-559: The day, St Bernard of Clairvaux , promoted the Cistercian reforms of monasticism as the best way to ensure fidelity of life and obedience to the Church. He himself arranged the incorporation of Casamari in the new order, officially listing it in the Cistercian directory as the 29th foundation of Citeaux . Under the Cistercians the abbey and its church were completely rebuilt between 1203 and 1217, in accordance with their own standards. In 1417

2379-442: The duties of his office entirely according to the will and under the direction of the abbot. His jurisdiction is, therefore, a delegated one and extends just as far as the abbot desires, or the constitutions of the congregation prescribe. He is appointed by the abbot, generally after a consultation in chapter with the professed monks of the monastery, and may be removed by him at any time. In many monasteries, especially larger ones,

2440-573: The equivalent term of 'prior general' is the one used. This applies, e.g., to the Camaldolese and the Carthusians . The term is also used by various mendicant orders , e.g., the Carmelites and the Dominicans . This applies both to the friars and the nuns of these orders. The term connotes the idea that the 'prior general' is simply the "first among equals". The Benedictine Order and its branches,

2501-568: The exterior, with ground-floor loggias, large upper windows, balconies, and outside staircases, and frequently had large halls that were decorated with fresco painting. Another notable example of Gothic city planning is the fan-shaped Campo, or town square, in Siena , which is dominated by the Palazzo Publico (1298–1348) and the Torre della Mangia, the tallest municipal tower in Italy. Florence constructed

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2562-459: The general population with their message, which meant constructing churches with large naves without any visual obstacles for preaching sermons to large congregations. Unlike Cistercian churches, they welcomed art in their architecture. The upper parts of their first major church, the Basilica of San Francesco of Assisi (1228–1253) were decorated with colourful murals by Cimabue depicting the lives of

2623-453: The government of the monastery, had some delegated jurisdiction over external dependencies of the abbey. In the high days of Cluny, the abbot was assisted by a coadjutor styled Grand-Prior ( Grand-prieur in French). The Conventual prior (Latin prior conventualis ) is the independent superior of a monastery that is not an abbey (and which is therefore called a "priory"). In some orders, like

2684-613: The guilds and the wealthy merchants of the city. Major examples included the Capitano del Popolo in Orvieto , the Palazzo Communale at Piacenza , and the massive Palazzo del Capitano, or Bargello , in Florence . Other Major examples are found in Siena, Florence and Venice. They illustrated the importance of Italian cities as banking centres, and increasing civic pride. These buildings were open to

2745-507: The harbour of Syracuse, Italy . Prior (ecclesiastical) Prior (or prioress ) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders . The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys , a prior would be lower in rank than the abbey's abbot or abbess . In the Rule of Saint Benedict ,

2806-485: The inside, instead of stone. The architects of many Italian Gothic churches ignored the French Gothic use of flying buttresses and used wooden tie beams across the nave to support the upper walls. Milan Cathedral , also called the Duomo, was begun in the late fourteenth century. It was one of the most ambitious Italian Gothic cathedrals, and one of the few that adapted many of the structural features of French Gothic, including

2867-419: The late 13th century and completed in the 14th. Florence Cathedral , designed by Arnolfo di Cambio , was begun in 1296. It is not exceptionally high, but the interior has a sense of spaciousness created by the merger of the nave and the aisles. The work proceeded very slowly. The campanile, designed by Giotto , was begun in 1334. Work continued after Giotto's death in 1337, first under Andrea Pisani and then, in

2928-413: The maintenance of the abbey. The 12th century, however, saw a period of long decline for the abbey. Due to the severe financial crises which arose in the shift to a capital-based economy, the region underwent great instability. In the religious realm, the Church was suffering from the contending rule of Antipope Anacletus II and Pope Innocent II . During this period, one of the major religious figures of

2989-466: The place of origin of Gothic architecture , France , and from other European countries in which this language has spread (the United Kingdom , Germany and Spain ). Italian architects preferred to keep the traditional construction methods established in the previous centuries, and architectural solutions and technical innovations of French Gothic architecture were seldom used. A soaring height

3050-401: The style was kept generally consistent, especially for the exterior, but for example the doors and windows on the front facade have classicizing Renaissance-Baroque door-frames. Its remarkable features include its gigantic columns, whose ornate capitals midway up the columns contain statues; the pale pink marble that faces the interior and exterior; and the forest of stone pinnacles that decorates

3111-532: The subdivision into langues was abolished in 1798, the subdivision into grand priories still exists within the sovereign Order of Malta , the modern successor of the historical Order of St. John. Other chivalric orders, such as the military Order of Christ , the Knights of Santiago , or in general, the Orders founded in the context of the Reconquista , only had one Grand Prior who acted as the Orders' Chief-cleric. During

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3172-603: The term appears several times, referring to any superior, whether an abbot, provost , dean , etc. In other old monastic rules the term is used in the same generic sense. With the Cluniac Reforms , the term prior received a specific meaning; it supplanted the provost or dean ( praepositus ), spoken of in the Rule of St. Benedict. The example of the Cluniac congregations was gradually followed by all Benedictine monasteries, as well as by

3233-631: The trading hub for the Eastern Mediterranean. The Doge's Palace , begun in the mid-14th century but greatly expanded in the 1420s, contained the Doge's apartments, council chambers, law courts, a prison, and the meeting hall for the lower house of the Venetian parliament. The ground and first floor had a double colonnade, while the upper floors were decorated with white and pink marble in delicate geometric designs. Major examples of aristocratic residences include Palazzo Pisani and Palazzo Foscari , but

3294-519: The upper portions. While the interior is thoroughly Italianate in style, the exterior is covered with decorative tracery, similar to the Rayonnant style in Northern Europe. The mostly-15th-century Certosa of Pavia , built by the rulers of Milan just south of the city, shows a similar extravagantly ornamented style, but now edging into Renaissance classical revival. The 14th and 15th centuries saw

3355-572: The veneration of the Ethiopian clergy. The local Catholic Diocese, along with the Ethiopian Catholic Church, opened a process of investigating his life for possible canonization . The cause was eventually approved and accepted by the Holy See for further investigation. In 1957 the abbey church was designated a basilica minor by Pope Pius XII. The abbey made its first overseas foundation in Ethiopia in 1940. There are now four monasteries of

3416-399: The work allotted to them respectively. He had no authority to correct or punish the brethren, but was to report to the claustral prior whatever he found amiss or contrary to the rules. In the Congregation of Cluny and others of the tenth, eleventh and twelfth centuries there was also a greater prior ( prior major ) who preceded the claustral prior in dignity and, besides assisting the abbot in

3477-502: Was begun in the mid-13th century, is another major landmark church of early Italian Gothic. Its interior is a mixture of Gothic and Romanesque elements, such as the domed crossing tower, and horizontal banding of the interior columns with polychrome marble. The most striking and original Gothic feature is the decorated screen facade on the west end, with sculptural decoration designed and partly carved by Giovanni Pisano in 1284–1320. A number of major Italian Gothic buildings were begun in

3538-587: Was built of red brick, beginning a tradition in Bologna architecture that lasted for two centuries. The facade was similar to those of Romanesque churches, but inside it had a more Gothic form, with aisles, an ambulatory with radiating chapels, and flying buttresses. Other important early buildings included the Parma Baptistery by Benedetto Antelami and the Basilica di Sant'Andrea in Vercelli , which showed Antelami's influence. Siena Cathedral (1215–1263), which

3599-541: Was less important than in Northern Europe . Brick, rather than stone, was in many areas the most common building material, and marble was widely used for decoration. In the 15th century, when the Gothic style dominated both Northern Europe and the Italian Peninsula , Northern Italy became the birthplace of Renaissance architecture . The Gothic style was first introduced into Italy in the 12th century by monks of

3660-451: Was permitted unless it had an essential practical purpose. Churches were usually far from the centre of cities. The first Gothic structures in Italy were the Cistercian churches of Fossanova Abbey and Casamari Abbey , whuch were built on the model of the Cistercian churches in the Duchy of Burgundy , particularly the original Cistercian church, Citeaux Abbey . Casamari was originally built as

3721-424: Was promoted by the Sicilian king, Frederick II , who was Holy Roman Emperor and through his mother Constance, Queen of Sicily grandson of the great Norman king Roger II of Sicily . The Emperor called upon the architects and craftsmen who had built the Cistercian monasteries to build castles and fortifications. The most important works include the Castel del Monte in Apulia and the Castello Maniace protecting

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