Monuments

Details: Category: bovas; Last Updated on Friday, 23 February 2024 14:53; Published on Thursday, 23 May 2013 14:50; Hits: 1291

The Cathedral (9th century) is a solemn and austere building dedicated to St Mary of Isodia and is of Norman origin. It was rebuilt in the late 17th and early 19th centuries. It is believed that the ancient construction dates back to the first centuries AD. The church, with its Romanesque structure, has a basilica-type plan with three naves. The portal has a tuff stone doorpost decorated with small columns, and above it in a frame is the bishop's coat of arms. Another minor portal is located on the side façade, and the stone lintel bears an inscription dated 1691. The interior has three columned naves on which the side arches rest, and at the end of the central apse is the marble high altar built in 1933 by Bishop Giuseppe Cognata. At the top, in a special niche positioned on a marble panel about 45 cm high, is the statue of the Madonna of the Presentation, or Madonna of Isodia (from the Greek Ise-Ode: Presented) with the Child in her arms, sculpted in white marble and about one metre high. The Madonna and Child wear two silver crowns on their heads, dated 1614, with the coat of arms of Bishop Giovanni Camerota (1592-1620). The chapel in the right aisle contains the artistic Sacrament Altar in polychrome marble. The altar, attributed to Sicilian craftsmen, bears an inscription in the upper frame with the name of the patron, the nobleman Fabio Nesci, and the year of execution, 1714. Once in the middle of this chapel was the Sepulchre of the brethren of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament. Overlooking the right aisle is the Chapel of the Crucifix, dated 1754, in which a wooden Christ on the Cross from the 18th century was placed. The beautiful bell tower has four bells, and the big bell is also called the 'March bell', because it rang every Friday in Lent to remind everyone of the penitential period.

The Church of San Leo (17th century) has a rectangular plan, a single nave with side chapels. It has precious 19th-century stucco on the walls and a sumptuous Baroque high altar in whose polychrome niche is a white marble statue of St Leo (Patron Saint of Bova) (1582). On either side of the niche is a double row of inlaid red marble columns, and at the top is the city's coat of arms in marble. The Baroque Chapel of the Relics of St Leo is dated 1722, a gift from the Marzano brothers for graces received from the saint. In this chapel, there is a marble altar consisting of four polychrome marble columns dated 1732, in a richly chiselled silver urn the Saint's relics are kept; the silver half-bust statue of St Leo is also of exquisite workmanship. In the chapel of the right aisle is a precious 18th-century canvas depicting the Immaculate Madonna with clasped hands, resting her foot on the moon and trampling the serpent, flanked by St Francis of Paola, St Anthony of Padua and St Joseph. The canvas is the work of Calabrian painters influenced by the Neapolitan school.

The Church of the Carmine (17th century) is a graceful aristocratic chapel belonging to the Mesiani Mazzacuva family. The main façade in late Renaissance style is defined by tall pilasters supporting a cornice with a triangular tympanum. The stone portal made by local craftsmen is surmounted by the family's marble coat of arms.

The Church of the Immaculate Conception (18th century) has a stone portal with carvings on the façade in late Baroque style, also the work of local stonemasons. Above the architrave is a low arched window with the Marzano family coat of arms in the centre. In fact, the church was the private chapel of Palazzo Marzano.

The Church of the Holy Spirit (17th century) formerly the Church of St. Catherine has a rectangular plan with a single nave with an apse and two side chapels and is simple and austere in form. The portal is made of stone with carvings in late Renaissance style, and on the entablature above it is a curvilinear tympanum dated 1622. On the high altar in inlaid marble was a marble statue of the Madonna and Child, now preserved in the new Church of St. Catherine. Today it is used for the Byzantine rite.

The Church of San Rocco (16th century) is located in the southern part of the settlement where the ancient convent of the Friars Minor of St. Anthony once stood. The façade has a portal surmounted by the bishop's coat of arms in carved stone and embellished with decorative motifs at the base of the pilasters and in the centre of the architrave. The interior, with a single nave, has a semicircular apse with a round arch.

The Norman Castle stands atop a rocky spur and the few remaining ruins are insufficient to reconstruct the layout of the whole. The rooms that are still legible are located at different heights, but it is difficult to understand their function, also due to the fact that the original orography of the land has been altered. The castle was supported by the city walls, of which a circular tower (Torre Normanna) still exists today. There are various hypotheses on the dating of the complex fortification, it is likely that the existing structures date back to the Angevin period. In the 15th-16th-17th centuries, following Turkish incursions, the castle was an excellent and safe refuge for the population. Several legends are linked to the castle. On the top, carved into a boulder, the footprint of a woman's foot is still visible. The footprint is said to have belonged to Countess Matilda of Canossa, who received the castle from Pope Gregory VII. If the footprint therefore corresponded to a girl's foot, she would have discovered that she was descended from the Countess of Canossa. Another legend speaks of the footprint of the 'Queen'. A Greek queen apparently had the castle built and if the footprint matched that of a young girl's foot, the lucky girl would find the queen's treasure.

The Medieval Tower (11th century) stands guard over one of the four gates that allowed access to the city on the southern edge of the Giudecca enclosure. It is the only tower remaining as evidence of the ancient city walls.

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Palazzo Mesiani Mazzacuva (late 18th century) is located near the ancient defensive structures of the city. The main façade presents an articulation realised, according to laws of symmetry, with the use of mixed-face masonry. The two corner pilasters define the building, which has a string-course cornice and a concluding cornice within which windows and balconies are set. The entrance portal in late Renaissance style is made of light-coloured stone and features an arch flanked by pilasters with entablatures. The municipally owned palace is currently used for exhibitions and cultural events.

Palazzo Nesci (early 18th century) is located in the centre of the village in the main square. It was considerably damaged by the 1783 earthquake but was later fully restored. The palace, built with two L-shaped bodies, is on two floors and has a square plan with a central courtyard. The entire façade is articulated, according to laws of symmetry, with the use of mixed-face masonry with the insertion of large square stone ashlars. On either side of the round-arched portal, two pilasters support an entablature on which the Nesci family coat of arms is placed. Towards the end of the 19th century, a side vault was built connecting the upper floor of the palace with a terrace on a rock spur, with a beautiful panoramic view of the sea.

Palazzo Marzano (IXX sec.) is an aristocratic palace that was once home to the family of the same name and now houses the Town Hall.

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Palazzo Tuscano (19th century) is a noble palace, former home of the family of the same name and now the seat of the Aspromonte National Park Visitor Centre.