Piazza del Duomo (also piazza Duomo) is the main square of the city of

Altamura Altamura (, ; nap, label= Barese, Ialtamùre) is a town and ''comune'' of Apulia, in southern Italy. It is located on one of the hills of the Murge plateau in the Metropolitan City of Bari, southwest of Bari, close to the border with Basilic ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It is located in the center of the historic city center, as well as in the middle of the main street of the city, that is ''corso Federico II di Svevia''. Moreover,

Altamura Cathedral Altamura Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Altamura, ''Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta''), dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Altamura, in the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, in south ...

, the main church of the city, is located on the square. It is also known because the Tree of Liberty was planted in this square during the so-called

Altamuran Revolution The Altamuran Revolution ( it, Rivoluzione di Altamura, also ''Rivoluzione altamurana'') was a three-month period of self-government of Italian town Altamura, right after the birth of the Parthenopean Republic (23 January 1799) which ousted the Bo ...

(1799).

History

The square has always been in the center of the city of Altamura, both in terms of position and importance. One of the most crucial decisions about the square is undoubtedly the intervention of

Frederick of Naples Frederick (April 19, 1452 – November 9, 1504), sometimes called Frederick IV or Frederick of Aragon, was the last King of Naples from the Neapolitan branch of the House of Trastámara, ruling from 1496 to 1501. He was the second son of Ferdinan ...

who, in 1494, bought several houses located in the area where today is the square and had them demolished in order to enlarge the square. pupillo-immaginie, p. 26 At the time it was known because there was an important daily market and the prices of foodstuffs were decided inside the square. Moreover, in front of the entrance of

(the area of the current ''palazzo Melodia''), there was a refuge for the poor, known as ''hospitium maioris ecclesie''. In the 16th century, the premises were turned into ten shops with arcades and it remained property of the cathedral, which rented the premises according to

emphyteusis Emphyteusis (Greek: implanting) is a contract for land that allows the holder the right to the enjoyment of a property, often in perpetuity, on condition of proper care, payment of tax and rent. The right encompasses assignment and of descent. His ...

to private individuals. The existence of those ten shops is also confirmed by the drawing P/33, dating back to the late 16th century and stored in the

Angelica Library The Biblioteca Angelica ( en, Angelica Library) is a public library located in Rome, Italy. In front of the ''Piazza Sant'Agostino'' square, adjacent to the church of Sant'Agostino, not far from Piazza Navona. The library holds about over 130,0 ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

; the doors in the drawing are exactly ten. In the 18th century, the shops were the only place where meat could be bought in the city, because of the tax on meat to be paid to the cathedral. As shown in the same drawing (P/33) of

Angelo Rocca Angelo Rocca (1545, in Rocca, near Ancone – 8 April 1620, in Rome) was an Italian humanist, librarian and bishop, founder of the Angelica Library at Rome, afterwards accessible from 1604 as a public library. Biography Angelo Rocca is also kn ...

, today's clock tower hadn't been built at that time yet. It was built in 1858 based on a project by the architect Corradino de Judicibus. Previously, in the same place where today it is the clock tower there was the ''seggio'', a sort of stage in which the representatives of both nobles and commoners met in order to discuss the issues the city had to face. Initially, the ''seggio'' was located in the area of the current chapel of San Biagio (alongside the Church of San Nicola dei Greci); in the end of the 16th century, it was moved to the area where the clock tower is located now; in 1654, it was demolished and rebuilt in the same place. Close to the area of the current clock tower,

also had an additional rose window as well as normal windows; al of them were walled and they are no longer visible.

A fight

On July 1, 1580, a fight broke out in the square, which involved Epifanio Corrado and Graziano Filo. The two contenders died of the injuries caused by sword blows and stone throws. Graziano Filo first attacked Epifanio Corrado, "who wounded fell to the caissons of the square, where the fruits were sold". After a few days, Graziano Filo also died because of the stabs received and the wounds to the head.

The statue of Astraea

Castiglione delle Stiviere-Colonna della Giustizia

Cesare Orlandi, in his work '' Delle città d'Italia '' (1770), wrote that in the square there was a statue of goddess

Astraea Astraea, Astrea or Astria ( grc, Ἀστραία, Astraía; "star-maiden" or "starry night"), in ancient Greek religion, is a daughter of Astraeus and Eos. She is the virgin goddess of justice, innocence, purity and precision. She is closely asso ...

, denoting justice and peace, on a very high pedestal and it was located "at the bottom of the square". In the same work, it is described as the "

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...

of Altamura". The goddess held a scale with her left hand and a sword with her right hand. She also wore a

diadem A diadem is a type of crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of royalty. Overview The word derives from the Greek διάδημα ''diádēma'', "band" or "fillet", from διαδέω ''diadéō'', "I ...

on her head. The inscription ''Justitia & Pax osculatae sunt'' accompanied the monument. The statue is not present anymore, and its demolition date is unknown. pupillo-immaginie, p. 125

Gallery

File:Puglia Altamura1 tango7174.jpg,

File:Monumento martiri 1799.jpg, Monument to the martyrs of the Revolution of 1799 -

Arnaldo Zocchi Arnaldo Zocchi (20 September 1862 – 17 July 1940) was a noted Italian sculptor of the late 19th and early 20th century. He was born in Florence and died in Rome. He studied sculpture in Florence under his father Emilio Zocchi. Works Italy ...

(1899)

References

Bibliography