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The Collegiate Church of St Mary of Mercy in Cori: Italy’s Oldest Candelabrum, Hidden in a Nameless Square
The square in which the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria della Pietà in Cori is located is hidden among the town’s alleyways. You might stumble upon it by chance, going uphill from Porta Romana. The church is broad, semicircular, with an 18th-century façade at the far end. The square itself is striking, but the real attraction lies inside.
A church over a temple, and a thousand-year history
The church was founded in the 11th–12th century, on the remains of a Roman building, possibly a temple dedicated to Diana and Fortuna, although no excavation has yet confirmed this. In Via della Collegiata, an ashlar masonry wall (opera quadrata) is still visible. The first document to mention the church dates back to 1273, while the present Baroque interior is from the 17th century.
Three things to see
The 12th-century Paschal candelabrum is the oldest known example of its kind: white marble, with chimeras at the base, twisted colonnettes, decorations that blend pagan and Christian symbols. Probably made in Cassino, it stands beside the altar on which a Cosmati sarcophagus from the same period rests. On the counter-façade, the Bonifazi-Priori organ (original pipes from 1630, restored in 1873) has 16 stops, and is among the most important in the province of Latina. Paintings include the Pentecost, attributed to Anastasio Fontebuoni.
