La basilica di Santa Maria in Foro Claudio a Ventaroli: analisi e rilievo di un ‘periferico’ monumento medievale Piero Barlozzini, Laura Carnevali, Fabio Lanfranchi

Abstract

The basilica of Santa Maria in Foro Claudio, the seat of bishops from the second half of the 5th century until the end of the
11th century, is situated in Ventaroli, a small village in the province of Caserta. The building, dating back to the 11th century
but possibly as far back as the 5th century, has undergone extensions and suffered devastation, redevelopments, indifference
and restoration, and although today its configuration differs considerably from the original layout, it still houses an important
cycle of frescoes of the Byzantine-Cassinese school. Among the interventions that have contributed most to the current shape
of the basilica, are those of the Aragonese age, related to the redesign of the main front, which was equipped with a portal in
the Catalan style - still present at the beginning of this century but today replaced with a copy. This contribution is part of a
broader programme aimed at documenting through surveys, a significant part of national architectural heritage of undeniable
artistic and historical value.