Tursi is a town and comune

Comune

In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...

in the province of Matera

Province of Matera

The Province of Matera is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Matera.It has an area of 3,447 km², and a total population of 203,837 . There are 31 comunes in the province . The main comunes by population are:- External links :* **...

, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata

Basilicata

Basilicata , also known as Lucania, is a region in the south of Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south, having one short southwestern coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania in the northwest and Calabria in the southwest, and a...

.

History

In the 9th century it was a stronghold of the Saracens in southern Italy.

A Catholic bishop resided in the frazione of Anglona until 968

Sanctuary of Anglona

The main attraction of Tursi is the Sanctuary of St. Mary of Anglona, a national monument. It is located on a hill at 263 m above the sea level, and was built from the 11th-12th centuries by enlarging a pre-existing small church (7th-8th centuries). It is a tuff

Tuff

Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...

 and travertine

Travertine

Travertine is a form of limestone deposited by mineral springs, especially hot springs. Travertine often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, and cream-colored varieties. It is formed by a process of rapid precipitation of calcium carbonate, often at the mouth of a hot...

 construction, particularly notable for the external decoration of the apse

Apse

In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...

, with numerous small arches, sculpted panels and a large central window flanked by small columns. The narthex

Narthex

The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...

 of the entrance has a portal with reliefs with the lamb

Domestic sheep

Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...

, symbols of the four Evangelists and other symbolic figures. The bell tower is in Romanesque style

The church is on the Latin cross plan, with a nave and two aisles separated by five arcades in different styles. Traces of the 14th century frescoes with Scenes of the Old and Testament have been recently restored.

Others

In the ancient semi-fortified village of Rabatana there are the remains of a castle built in the 5th century by the Ostrogoths. There is also the church of Santa Maria Maggiore (10th-11th centuries: largely rebuilt in the Baroque style, it has maintained its 15th century façade. The interior has a nave and two aisles, and is home to a priceless 14th century triptych portraying the Virgin Enthroned with Child and Scenes of the Life of Jesus, attributed to the school of Giotto.

The Cathedral dates from the 15th-16th centuries.