The present cathedral of Bari dates back to the 12th-13th century. It was built on the ruins of a cathedral of Byzantine origin, destroyed by William I of Sicily (1154-1166). The materials of the previous church and other destroyed buildings were used for the construction of the present building. Consecrated on October 4, 1292, the church was inspired by the style of the Basilica of St. Nicholas.
The Basilica of San Nicola is one of the most significant examples of Apulian Romanesque architecture. The basilica was founded in 1087 by Benedictines with the main purpose of receiving the relics of St. Nicholas stolen in Myra (Turkey) by sailors from Bari.
The cathedral of Bitonto is an Apulian Romanesque church built between the 11th and 12th centuries. It has acquired its cathedral status in 1986. The church was modeled after the Basilica of San Nicola di Bari.
Bitonto Cathedral, since 1986 strictly speaking a co-cathedral, was built in the centre of the city between the 11th and 12th centuries. The building, in the Pugliese Romanesque style on the model of the Basilica of St. Nicholas of Bari, is considered to be the most complete and mature expression of Pugliese Romanesque art, in particular, because of its richly carved portal and rose windows.
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