Dating back to 1076, the year in which the building of worship was established under the papacy of Gregory VII, the Irpinian town's Mother Church underwent a major transformation in the 16th century. Like many other historical and religious structures located in Irpinia, the Cathedral of St Antonino Martyr was also seriously damaged by the earthquake of 23 November 1980, which caused the collapse of the apse and some vaults, the tearing of the façade and the fall of two stages of the bell tower: closed to worship for two decades, it reopened in the early 2000s.* The church has three naves with a single apse; on the counter façade persists the large monumental organ with two manuals built in the early 2000s by the Ruffatti Brothers of Padua. The bell tower currently possesses five bells in the diatonic scale of D flat, of which one historical one cast by the local Ripandelli foundry and four added in 2000, cast by the Capanni foundry of Castelnovo ne' Monti, to replace the previous ones destroyed by the earthquake.
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☛ Concert of five bells in diatonic scale of D flat:
1, 3, 4, 5. - Paolo Capanni (Castelnovo Ne' Monti, RE), 2000;
2. - Antonio Ripandelli (Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, AV), 1865.
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Presentation of the individual bells, historic bell display and plenum. Thanks to Mr Michele Vespasiano, a direct relative of the last member of the Tarantino bell-ringing family, Fiore, for his hospitality and for organising the visit.
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For further information: bellsalerno@gmail.com
Site of the Italian Association of Bell Ringing: www.campanologia.org/
* sistemairpinia.provincia.avel...
©Ermenegildo Guerra, 19/09/23
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