Irsina

The town, called 'Montepeloso' until the end of the 19th century, was of great importance in Roman times and was among the most developed centres in Basilicata during the period of Lombard and Byzantine rule. After the Norman occupation, the town became a fief of numerous noble families, and in 1123 Pope Calixtus II issued a bull naming the town an episcopal see. The town's cathedral, dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, was built in the 13th century and remodelled in 1777 with a Baroque façade and Gothic mullioned bell tower. It houses the Nanto stone statue of St Euphemia, attributed to the Renaissance artist Andrea Mantegna. The 12th-century Church of the Convent of St Francis, known for its fresco of the Pantocreator, and the Church of the Purgatory, which houses a beautiful painting depicting 'The Marriage at Cana' dating from 1600, are of great value. Text edited by APT Basilicata.