The Cathedral of Amalfi is the most famous monument of the Amalfi Coast in the world, key tourist destination for those who want to undertake its historic - artistic offered by the province of Salerno.
The Cathedral, dedicated to St. Andrew , was built in the ninth century, when the Maritime Republic began to establish itself as a commercial power . It was completely renovated in 1203 , in the form introduced by the Arab-Norman conquerors. Remodeled around 1570 , it was rebuilt in 800 after a disastrous collapse occurred at mid-century.
Dominating the coastal town , on top of an impressive staircase , mosaic , full of bright colors and shapes , covering the facade of the Cathedral , and depicts Christ enthroned in the middle of the Evangelists.
The Cathedral has a beautiful Romanesque bell tower , completed in 1276, its tiled mosaic and restored in 1929.
Beyond the porch is the entrance to the Cathedral, bronze , from Constantinople , as a gift of a patrician Amalfi.
The interior of the cathedral, with its coffered ceiling , is characterized by a central aisle , characterized by large wooden crucifix of the thirteenth century . , At the top , instead , on the altar is the painting of the Martyrdom of St. Andrew ; two majestic Egyptian granite columns supporting the arch , below two twisted columns and the two pulpits .
In the left aisle there is the Cross Mother of Pearl , brought from the Holy Land from Mgr Marini side of the Baptistery in red Egyptian porphyry and , walking down the aisle, the side chapels of some Tele Sylvester Mirra and his students .
In the right aisle we find the Reliquary Bust of St. Andrew of the century. XVI , and on the door, a large painting of St. Andrew and St. Matthew.
The oldest of the Cathedral of Amalfi is certainly the Basilica of SS . Crucifix , built before the year 833 , next to which , in 987, the current cathedral was built .
To admire the gallery, the ancient columns of the original structure , and two small chapels painted with scenes of Miracles and effigies of saints.
In the cases placed at the center of the hall is home to the Diocesan Museum , which is exposed in the Treasury of the Cathedral : a Angioina Mitra 1297 , embroidered with gems , gold, enamel and a " cobblestone " of 19,000 beads ; chisel of a silver-gilt chalice of the first half of the century. XIV; Sedan a Chinese century . XVIII; a magnificent collar of the order of the Golden Fleece ; rare pieces of silverware of the Neapolitan school ; and the magnificent Falca arising from a Venetian galley of the fifteenth century .
Do not miss a wooden statue of the Madonna and Child , and fragments of the mosaic of the original facade of the Duomo . Last in order of time the Cloister of Paradise , which was built between 1266 and 1268 and a cemetery for the Nobles of Amalfi .
Arabian style , decorated with interlaced arches on marble columns , it houses stone artifacts , sarcophagi from different eras and six chapels built between the employers' twelfth and fourteenth century.
Precious is then the Crypt which houses the body of St. Andrew, the first disciple of Jesus and patron saint of Amalfi , whose remains arrived in Amalfi in 1208 , brought from the East during the Fourth Crusade .
The Crypt is today in baroque form dated in 1600 with scenes from the Passion of Jesus, set between rich and elegant stucco decorations .
The central altar , rich marble , was designed by Domenico Fontana. The large bronze statue is the work of Michelangelo Naccherino , Florence ( 1604).
Next there are the marble statues representing San Lorenzo and Santo Stefano. The holy relics are enclosed in a silver urn , placed under the central altar , the work of Domenico Fontana.
The Ancient Arsenals of the Amalfi Republic
Only example of a southern shipyard , eleven arches are present only surviving part of the twenty - twenty-two that opened directly to the sea. Inside are statues medieval elements of plunder and the Galleon of Amalfi, one that competes at the Historical Regatta .
Handmade paper of Amalfi
In the enchanting Valley of the Mills , where once was located on the industrial district of the city, one can encounter in the old mills , some of which are still in efficiency.
Worth visiting the Museum of Handmade paper of Amalfi , consisting of an old paper mill and a library with about 3,000 texts on the origin of the paper.
Of the 16 active cards at the end of the eighteenth century , today there are a dozen in operation , producing more precious handmade paper .
The Amalfi were the first in Europe to make paper , learning the techniques in the thirteenth century, thanks to the commercial relationships they had with the Arab world.
The manufacture of paper, which derived from the maceration of plant demanded rooms powered by hydraulic power , so the mills were located mostly in the valleys of the rivers edge .
