Trani Cathedral and the church of Ognissanti, Templar clues

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The wind of Trani blew placidly to Eastern, where the salvation waits for men who act according to God’s will. It was revealed to the heart of those departing soldiers. Harnessed among a thousand and shining armor, they aspired to reconquest Jerusalem. A crusade was not a simple travel. It delineated the border among the penance and impenitence, among the blessing and damnation. Each soldier was intimately a pilgrim, who entrusted his soul to the wind and the sword.

The departure ceremony from the church of Ognissanti

That day, the Church of Ognissanti in Trani was wrapped in a shuddering unison, a desire of glory mixed with fear. In its Romanesque simplicity, the building was the last familiar place before the departure. The sea, in fact, roared good-naturedly. The shining waves, under the evening sun, crashed along the docks of the port. The long row of the Crusaders orderly proceeded from the external to the presbytery of the little church, passing through the elegant central portal. Then, the soldier received the solemn blessing by the archbishop of Trani, Bertrando II. This was the reason of wearing the Cross, symbol of a mission and investiture which proceeded from God to man.

The ceremony could seem so simple, but does this simplicity hide the strength? Is the God’s talk as a veiled whisper directly to the pilgrim’s soul? That blessing was so full of meanings: it opened the path to salvation. Anyone who would have died in combat or along the perilous journey would have been welcomed by the paternal arms of heaven. Not surprisingly, the city had named its cathedral after the wayfarer Saint Nicholas the Pilgrim, a building with a tall bell tower that towered proudly over the horizon of the turquoise-colored sea. As it was for Nicholas, holiness was the aspiration of every crusader leaving the West that day for the land of the infidel Muslims.

The Knights Templar in Trani

Among the coloured shields of the Crusaders the red Cross Pattée of the Knights Templar emerged. The brave monk-warriors appeared along the entire street. Their task was so honorable and deserving of praise. They had to accompany the wayfarers along the roads; assisting them in their care thanks to their spitals; welcome the dead in decent cemeteries.

It was possible to meet them  along the Via Francigena, that led to Rome. The path continued until Benevento, along the Via Traiana. Then there was the obliged passing for the Jerusalemite fortress of Crepacuore, which had the function of defending the road. After having reached the city of Troia, there was a crossroad. The pathway led to the North to the ancient and arcane Sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo, in the Gargano. By this they sought the blessing of the supreme commander of the heavenly militia, the one who had driven the enemy back into darkness. On the contrary, if the path continued towards the South, the white cottages and the masterful docks of the Apulian ports, like Trani or Otranto, appeared.

From Ognissanti to the port

In small groups, the Crusaders proudly began to take the narrow alley of the Angiporto, which led from the Church of Ognissanti to the port area. The preparations for departure were hectic.

Squat ships, whose sails were not yet deployed, so suitable for carrying soldiers, swayed rhythmically. Forerunners of the most modern galleys, they received a solemn blessing. The life of many men depended on that wood, which now appeared so similar to that of the Christ’s cross. As this last had led humanity to salvation, so those cramped boats had to conduct towards the Holy Land. A last look at the cathedral at the end of the day and the heart addressed to Saint Nicholas the Pilgrim: it is the departure time.

The history of Saint Nicholas the Pilgrim

Saint Nicholas the Pilgrim was a young hermit, born in Stiri, Greece, in 1075. Since his early age, he had demostrated a predilection for an ascetic and wandering spirituality. While conducting her herding business, one day he began to recite the phrase Kyrie eleison, following the teaching of Saint Paul who affirmed “pray without ceasing”1. He was considered foolish, so his mother decided to lock himup in a monastery, where he suffered beatings and humiliations. However, the boy continued his prayers and, courageously, he decided to leave on a pilgrimage to Rome. Embarking in Lepanto, he was thrown into the sea like the prophet Jonah, because of his ossessive litany.

The boy mysteriously reappeared in Otranto and nobody knew how he reached it. Nicholas emerged soggy and run down from the sea, incessantly screaming his Kyrie eleison. He could appear as a disturbed man for Otranto inhabitants and the archbishop. Then they drove him away from the city and then Nicholas restarted his pilgrimage. After day of hard way, he arrived in Trani the 20th of May 1094. Surprisingly, here he found kind and friendly faces. The archbishop Bisanzio loved the boy for his simplicity and his constant prayers to God. The religious decided to offer hospitality to Nicholas.

However, he could not stay in Trani for a long time. He became seriously ill and the 2nd of June he died2. After the burial inside the church of Saint Jack, his remains started to be miraculous. Hence, the archbishop decided to propose his canonization. After few years, in 1099, the construction of the majestic cathedral dedicated to him started.

Trani Cathedral 

Trani Cathedral is so imposing and proud, similar to a bulwark on the sea that scans the horizon and watches over the city. The building arose over a preexisting edifice, known as Saint Maria della Scala. This old construction was demolished at the same time of the new cathedral edification. Its original area corresponds to the current crypt, with cross vaults and marble columns.

Hypogeum of San Leucio

The area of the hypogeum of San Leucio is almost totally preserved. Through it was possible to enter Santa Maria della Scala, whilst today it is the bottom part of the Cathedral. Here are the remains of the saint. They were in Brindisi and in the 8th century they were stolen.

The construction of Trani Cathedral

The building site lasted for more than 100 years. However, documentary sources attest that the building had already been consecrated in 1143. We also know that the remains of Saint Nicholas the Pilgrim were transported there from the church of San Giacomo. The Historia Translationis Sancti Nicolai Peregrini by the deacon Amando tells the sumptuous transfer ceremony of the saint, to which a representation of the Knights Templar participated:

Milites etiam Templi Domini, qui paulo remotius ad urbe distabant hoc cernentes dixerunt illud stupendum miraculum sacri corposis traslationem iudicare“.

Amandus Diaconus, Historia Translationis Sancti Nicolai Peregrini confessoris Tranensis, 1143.

Exterior of Trani Cathedral 

The Cathedral of Saint Nicholas the Pilgrim is one of the shining examples of the Apulia Romanesque. A salient facade opens in front of the opposite balcony by three portals. The decorated central one shows Arabesque influences. The original bronze door, preserved inside the building, was made by Barisano da Trani.

The ground floor of the building is raised above the square in front. It is reached by two flights of stairs at the sides, an architectural peculiarity that allows direct access from outside to the crypt. The magnificent central circular rose window opens onto the façade above three single-lancet windows accompanied by zoomorphic sculptures. On the left side stands the massive bell tower, erected between 1230 and 1239 and pierced at the bottom by a graceful pointed arch.

The interior of Trani Cathedral 

Inside the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, there is a mystical atmosphere. The whiteness of the marble and the distinct verticalism project visitors into an otherworldly dimension. The building has a floor plan with three naves, separated by twin columns, and a transept.

The coverage of the central nave has wooden trusses, whilst the crosses dominate the side ones, where are the typical matronei of the Romanesque buildings. Overall, the cathedral seems so unadorned, mostly similar to a fortress in the sea than to a religious building.

A Cathedral on the sea

The words by Cesari Brandi well tells this extraordinary marriage between the sea and the mystical component of the building:

“As attracted, the sea and the sky coagulate: they acquire firmness of color and immovable material solidity and, on the other hand, the stone that discovers in rust and gold, finds aerial thickness and the path of long reflections, slow and blue like the dead wave. The unknown and sublime architect had understood how to lead sky and sea to capture architecture, how to destroy the shapeless naturalness in the perennial unnaturality of form”.

C. Brandi, Pellegrino di Puglia, 1960.

It is not excluded that the construction of the cult building facing the sea had some apotropaic function: Saint Nicholas the Pilgrim watched over the city and repelled enemies who came sailing the Mediterranean waves.

Symbology hints in Trani Cathedral

On the basis of the bell tower, on the wall of the balcony in front of the facade, some worn Merels Boards and Sacred Centers. These are symbologies typically associated to the Order of the Knights Templar3. On the main facade, the stone lions of the central portal appear rather worn. The elephants are more preserved, symbol of purity and temperance, and the griffin, a figure symbolizing the double nature of Christ, the terrestrial and celestial ones.

Knights Templar in Trani: more than a hypothesis 

The Historia Translationis Sancti Nicolai Peregrini refers on the presence of the Knights Templar during the transfer of the remains of Saint Nicholas the Pilgrim. This is not surprising as the existence of a Templar domus in the nearby city of Barletta is well known4. It is connected to the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena, donated by the Archbishop of Trani Bertrando II to the members of the Order Riccardo and Rainerio in 11695. This domus became the main commendatoria in the Bari area, until 1229, when Frederick II confiscated some of the goods.

Trani, a port that looks to the East

The presence of the Templars in Trani and Barletta is explainable by the strategic importance of their ports. From there a large quantity of supplies and goods departed for the Holy Land to support the Christian militias. Even, Trani was the city where the Ordinamenta maris were issued in the 11th-12th century. It is the first maritime code of the Mediterranean Sea. For this reason, in few time Trani became one of the most relevant departure port to reach the Holy Land6.

The commercial and monetary exchange importance of the city is evidenced by the presence of around two hundred members of the Jewish community. They were responsible for providing money at a favourable exchange rate. The Jewish quarter, where the remains of two synagogues stand, are still visitable, making Trani even closer to Jerusalem.

The Church of Ognissanti: a Templar debate still open 

The church of Ognissanti is frequently related to to the monastic order of the Knights Templar. According to one hypothesis, the building became their property on the basis of the aforementioned agreement with Archbishop Bertrando II of Trani in 1169.

The Church of Ognissanti in Trani 

The main façade of the church consists of a double porch with three arches, set into the surrounding buildings and supported by columns topped by sculpted capitals. Among the scenes depicted are a Michael slaying the dragon and other depictions of archangels. Beyond the atrium are the three portals of the church, richly carved lunettes with an Annunciation and eucharistic symbols, including the peacock and the vine.

The apse

Of great interest is the apse portion of the building, which overlooks the city harbour. Knots and zoomorphic figures, including stylised lions, griffins and eagles, all declinations of the Medieval bestiary with Christological meanings decorate a large monofora window.

Among the decorative knots motifs, there is the Knot of Revelation, which recalls the Holy Spirit. On the archivolt of the single lancet window there is a sculpture representing the fight of Sanson against the lion, a figure of the devil. Crowning the apse, a series of hanging arches with corbels house human faces.

The interior has a basilica plan with three naves without a transept, divided by columns and round arches. The nave has a wooden truss roof, while the side aisles have ribbed vaults. Overall, the interior of the church appears sober and measured according to the typical custom of the time.

Templar…

The ownership of the Church of Ognissant by the Knights Templar has been debated in the last century. Arcangelo Prologo was the first who argue about the Templar membership to the building. The scholar related the Milites Templum Domini described in the Historia Translationis Sancti Nicolai Peregrini with the owners of the church7. Then, we can find a confirm about the Templar ownership of Ognissanti by the presence of a tombstone located near the right portal. It states “Hic Requiescit Costantinus Abbas Et Medicus Orate Pro Anima Eius“, translated as “Here Constantine, abbot and doctor, rests, pray for his soul“.

For a long time scholars have been debating the identity of Constantine. However, the writing would indicate the existence of a spital annexed to the religious building, detail that recalls a custom of Templar settlements. In support of this thesis, Bianca Maria Capone points out that another church, called Saint John, was known as the “grancia of the Knights of the Temple of Ognissanti8.

…or not Templar?

Nonetheless, Vito Ricci9 and Fulvio Bramato10 questioned about the Templar relation with the church of Ognissanti. According to the scholars, the members of the Order could not have sufficient financial resources for the realization of a so important architectural building. Moreover, there is a lack of clear and explicit documentary sources proving the relationship between the church of All Saints and the Knights Templar.

The alleged convention between the Order and the local bishopric of 1169 has also been questioned, which may instead refer to another religious group present in the area, the canons of the Dome of the Rock11. On the other hand, the Templars had sworn an oath directly to the Holy See thanks to Innocent II’s bull Omne Datum Optimum, dated 1139. Therefore they could not be under the jurisdiction of local bishops. However, even if this seems to exclude that Archbishop Bertrand II gave them concessions, it is possible that the Order built the church of Ognissanti independently. The mystery is yet to be unravelled.

Samuele Corrente Naso

Notes

  1. 1 Thessalonians 5, 17. ↩︎
  2. G. Cioffari, San Nicola il pellegrino. Patrono di Trani e dell’arcidiocesi. Vita, critica e messaggio spirituale, Rotas editore, 2004. ↩︎
  3. A. Giacomini, Sator, Codice templare, Edizioni Penne e Papiri, 2004. ↩︎
  4. O. Cilli, I templari a Barletta. Nuove acquisizioni, 2002. ↩︎
  5. Arcangelo Prologo, Le carte che si conservano nello Archivio del Capitolo Metropolitano della città di Trani, dal IX secolo fino all’anno 1266, V. Vecchi e soci, 1877. ↩︎
  6. C. D. Fonseca, Trani, in G. Musca, Itinerari e centri urbani nel Mezzogiorno normanno-svevo, Atti delle decime giornate normanno-sveve (Bari 21-24 ottobre 1991), 1993. ↩︎
  7. Ibidem note 5. ↩︎
  8. B. Capone, L. Imperio, E. Valentini, Guida all’Italia dei Templari: gli insediamenti templari in Italia, Edizioni Mediterranee, 1989. ↩︎
  9. V. Ricci, La chiesa di Ognissanti di Trani non fu templare, Cronache medievali, 2010. ↩︎
  10. F. Bramato, Il Templum Domini e la Militia Templii nella diocesi di Trani. Elementi e prospettive per la ricerca, Barletta crocevia degli Ordini religioso-cavallereschi medioevali, Seminario di Studio, 1997. ↩︎
  11. F. Cardini, I Templari. Eroismo e misfatti, in Storia e Dossier, Giunti Editore, Firenze, 1995. ↩︎

Author

Samuele is the founder of Indagini e Misteri, a blog on anthropology, history and art. He has a degree in forensic biology and works for the Ministry of Culture. For pleasure he studies unusual and ancient things, such as unclear symbols or enigmatic apotropaic rituals. He pursues the mystery through adventure but inexplicably it is is always one step further.

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