The Cathedral of Santa Maria de Episcopio, the most ancient church of the city which the bombings of the Second World War nearly razed to the ground, losing the precious testimonies kept until then of the original edifice of the 7th century.
A meticulous work of reconstruction has allowed the almost full recovery of the bell tower and of the façade, both from the end of the 13th century. The bell tower is formed of blocks of white stone, while the façade is covered with marble too. The only part which survived to the bombings is the crypt, which has pictorial cycles from the 9th century. In the atrium, there is the restored janua maior, the main bronze door, work of Roman sculptors from the 12th century. In a part there are the representations of the episodes from Christ’s life taken from the Gospels, in the other the metropolitan bishop of Benevento and other prelates of that time are honored. The statue of the patron San Bartolomeo is precious and much venerated. His remains were moved to Benevento in 838.
