Monopoli Cathedral

Monopoli Cathedral tickets: which one to buy

Monopoli Cathedral stands in the heart of the old town of Monopoli, a seaside town in Puglia south of Bari, and entry is free. A small museum of religious art beside the cathedral may charge a modest fee. Monopoli is increasingly popular with visitors for its whitewashed old town, its harbour with blue fishing boats and its small beaches and coves, and it is well placed for exploring Polignano a Mare, Alberobello with its trulli, Ostuni and the Itria Valley.

Walking tours of the old town include the cathedral along with the castle of Charles V by the sea, the old port and the narrow streets. The town is on the railway line between Bari and Lecce, making it easy to reach without a car. The cathedral is an active church, and visiting pauses during services. Trains from Bari reach Monopoli in about half an hour, and the station is ten minutes' walk from the old town.

Visiting Monopoli Cathedral: what to see

A cathedral has stood here since the twelfth century, when a Romanesque church was built on the site of an older temple; the present baroque cathedral, dedicated to the Madonna della Madia, was rebuilt in the eighteenth century and consecrated in 1772, keeping the Romanesque bell tower. The interior is richly decorated with polychrome marble, gilded stucco and paintings by Neapolitan artists. The cathedral takes its name from a legend: in 1117, a raft made of wooden beams, a madia, drifted into the port carrying an icon of the Virgin, at a time when the builders of the cathedral lacked timber for the roof, and the beams were used to complete it.

The Byzantine icon is kept in a chapel of the cathedral. The museum displays silverware, vestments and fragments of the medieval church. The facade, with its statues of saints and a large window, faces a small square, and the Romanesque bell tower rises beside it. The side chapels hold paintings by Palma il Giovane and other artists of the Venetian and Neapolitan schools. Beneath the cathedral, excavations have revealed remains of the earlier churches and of a Messapian settlement. The high altar is decorated with inlaid marble.

Monopoli Cathedral opening hours and the best time to go

The cathedral is open daily, with a break at lunchtime. Monopoli is at its busiest in July and August, when the beaches and the old town fill with visitors, especially in the evening. Spring, June and September are pleasant, with warm weather and fewer crowds. The feast of the Madonna della Madia is celebrated on 16 December, when the arrival of the icon is re-enacted at night in the harbour with boats and torches, followed by a procession.

The patronal festivals in August bring lights and fireworks. Allow about twenty minutes for the cathedral, and walk to the old port and the sea walls afterwards. The castle of Charles V, beside the harbour, holds temporary exhibitions and gives access to the sea walls.