HISTORY OF THE CATHEDRAL
HISTORY OF THE CATHEDRAL
The ancient cathedral was built around the medieval castle and was dedicated to St. Maria. Of the structure, which appears in the form of a rectangular plan, today only the ruins of the perimeter remain. The bell tower of the cathedral, which was built in the 12th century, has an interesting inlaid decoration: on the three faces it is still possible to see, six rosettes, different from each other and made up of inlays in gray tuff and sandstone.
The construction Sant’ Anna lasted about a hundred years. Msgr. Antonio Molinari consecrated it in 1696. The project, which only involved the construction of the central nave, underwent variations over the years, so the transept and the two domes of the presbytery were added to the works of the nave. The work of the bell tower, however, began in 1707 at the behest of Mons. Giovanni Cito, who had an octagonal tower built in the Moorish style. The tower is divided into four levels and is made up of three planes, plus an octagon divided into four parts. On the main façade of the bell tower, on the first floor, there is the inscription “Fides Vincit Miseras – 1872”, which refers to the struggle between the chapters of Lettere and Castellammare di Stabia. On the second floor there is a clock that signals the time to Lettere. The last renovations were carried out in 2006. The main façade of the church has undergone important changes over the centuries. In 1982, at the behest of the canon Gaetano Rosanova and the people of Lettere, a new bronze portal was placed at the entrance of the church, blessed by the then Bishop Mons. Antonio Zama. The portal consists of nine panels that illustrate all the scenes taken from the New Testament. In the upper panel, instead, is the statue of St. Anne among the faithful, while in the part below the coat of arms of the Comune di Lettere, of Pope John Paul II, of the Bishop Mons. Antonio Zama and the designer of the portal Tommaso Gismondi.
Source: http://www.comune.lettere.na.it/zf/index.php/musei-monumenti/index/dettaglio-museo/museo/2
