Situated on the acropolis of the city, the Cathedral Basilica , dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption, is one of the most important monuments of Conversano , as well as a national monument since 1897.
Its construction is contemporary with the construction of the main tower , dating from around the year 1080 , in fact the factory was finished in 1359 by the Bishop of the diocese Pietro D' Itri , as the plaque on the main facade to the right of the door magna , surely the Cathedral was built on an earlier chapel dedicated to Saint Sylvester built around the fifth century AD, by the first bishop of the city Simplicio .
The Cathedral , like most medieval buildings , turns his apses to the east towards the holy city of Jerusalem.
It is accessed through three doors along the main facade , two along the north side and two on the south.
The church has a Latin cross without apses not prominent , but enclosed by a straight wall , it ranks among the buildings of the "group of Puglia " inspired by the Basilica of St. Nicholas of Bari
In 1997 , on the occasion of the first centenary of the coronation of the Virgin Protectress of the source in the Diocese , the Cathedral is granted by the Supreme Pontiff , Pope John Paul II , the title of Minor Basilica .

The ' external
The facade is tripartite : from the main portal called " door magna " , consists of a porch where the lions are the most obvious . Starting from the bottom you can see the two lions, which by means of two brackets inverted pyramidal base with carved foliage , based on two twisted columns [4] , certainly for reuse, which certainly were part of a canopy lost ; these columns in Simone pads , were added in the early twentieth century.
Lions support two columns slightly srombate [5 ] downwards ending with carved foliage capitals to drum . They part of the porch with the peak at the cusp [6] , at the Agnus Dei , of which the original copy is in the transept , above the stone pentagonal there is an empty space, maybe there was a Madonna , perhaps intentionally blank ( Etimasia ) .
The porch seems supported by two small lions : the left holds a human figure , a symbol of original sin , the right imprisons its talons head of a lamb , a symbol of man, victim of sin.
The archway is composed of three semicircles : the first , the outer one , adorned with acanthus leaves , and the second , the middle , adorned with zoomorphic figures alternating with vegetables , and the third and last , the inner one , adorned with busts 13/2 , probably the Twelve Apostles at the center of which is Christ.
In the lunette depicting the Madonna and Child flanked by two angels with censers .
Turning to the smaller side doors , the first on the left is that of St. George, said guidoncineo or pilgrims. This portal is characterized by the image of St. George on horseback slaying the dragon, the iconography of the saint who want to wear a dress almost like a suit of armor.
The other portal , right, is St. Peter, said the proceedings or of heaven, because by this passing of coffins . It has a porch made of two small lions which end of a tunnel carved capitals and chisel with a pointed arch archway , to above is placed the statue of St. Peter, recognizable by the key that holds in his right hand .
Turning to the rosettes, the two sides are going back to the restoration done by Louis Sylos decorated with checkerboard and floral themes , the central rosette is partly rebuilt and retains a number of lobed arches [8] and columns at the center with the lamb the cross all dated to the twentieth century. Of medieval frames of the central rose window decorated with leaves from the large ribs , human busts representing also heads almost in the round.
As for the roof, today , appears to hut to evoke the joining of hands in prayer. This type of roof was the result of the restoration work completed around the thirties , before the restoration appeared in steps.

The restoration
At this point it is important to retrace the steps of the restorations that have changed over the centuries, the Cathedral Basilica .
As already mentioned, the first building we have in the year one thousand : it was made up by today transept .
Later the bishops felt the need to expand the Cathedral, this project was completed in the year 1359 by Bishop Peter D' Itri : the church appeared enlarged , consisting of three naves , a Latin cross plan commissa [9 ] , were added numerous sculptural elements that emphasized the Romanesque style .
Other works concerned throughout the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries , both for problems relating to the structure , either due to the development of new architectural concepts , expressly desired by the bishops involved in the "modernization " of the building .
In the same years the bell tower was incorporated into a space carved into the chapel of St. Anthony of Vienna (now the vestry ) .
In 1440 work began on the restoration of the roof by the University of Conversano [10].
At the beginning of 1500, the Bishop Donato D'Aragona Acquaviva decided to widen the aisles , so he allowed the restoration of the floor of the women's galleries.
In 1660 Bishop Joseph Palermo he completed the restoration of the Cathedral , as evidenced by the plaque on the left side of the hall door , works that changed the style of the church. She ran from the simple style of the Romanesque style of the magnificent Baroque building , inside, was entirely painted colors typical of the Baroque ( blue and yellow) , the apses were adorned with golden wooden frames , chapels sides were adorned with stucco ornaments which were the exaltation of marble and inlaid wood .
They followed the restoration took Bishop Filippo Meda between 1701 and 1733. The bishop wanted to carry the altar until the apse , the choir expanded and rebuilt the vaults of the aisles ( see fig . )
At the end of the eighteenth century, new works affected the Cathedral , they were not only tangible and went to settle the structure of the building .
New works were undertaken in 1878 by the architect Simone Saints who wanted to shed light on the medieval monument . In previous years the Simon had designed new altars to the Virgin of the Source projects never implemented for lack of funds , only after a series of letters between the bishop and the Holy Simon Lamberti and with the agreement of the Province and the Municipality is started the restoration of the facade of the church. The work that followed up to 1911 suffered a serious blow in the night between 10 and 11 July when , because of a candle stub , the cathedral suffered a devastating fire that led to the destruction of the entire kit monumental . The only pieces were saved from the painting of Our Lady of the source and the Crucifix .
New works concerned the building , they were led by Ing. Angelo Pantaleo .
During the meeting it was decided to eliminate the side chapels , to return to the Romanesque style building , remove the old rose window that looked out on the square of the Conciliation and replace it with two single , to restore the window of the apse giving new sculptural elements , to build a roof truss to the nave and the transept , to reuse elements sculptors came to light ( capitals, arms , etc. .. ), and also came to light traces of an existing building walls indicated that the apses and chapels, tombs and statues (see Fig. ) .
The consecration of the Cathedral you will have found this in the thirties .


The interior
Inside, the church is cold [11] to the visitor, it is divided into three naves , the arches side , four on each side , are round arches , supported by piers [ 12], the central arch , triumphal said , is a pointed arch and allows entry into the most important area of the basilica, the apse ( transept ) , where they celebrated the liturgical rites .
Above the lateral arches are the galleries , which currently have only function stage , they are not functional ; are composed by sixteen columns with respective capitals, the latter different from one another .
Entering on the left can be seen in the chapel before the statue of the patron saint San Flaviano . Probably the cult of this saint was introduced after the middle of the fifteenth century, when Caterina Orsini del Balzo, daughter of Prince Giovanni Antonio di Taranto , I married with Giulio Antonio Acquaviva , received a dowry is the county of Conversano that the duchy of Atri and Giulianova Teramo and therefore , a country which was moved from Constantinople , the body of St. Flavian .
Continuing in the third chapel houses the painting of Our Lady of the Fountain , the first chapel on the right aisle is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus , continuing in the third chapel houses the crucifix of the XV- XVI century and two statues and that of the Addolorata St. John.
Turning to the transept , apse left you can see a wonderful fresco of the school of Simone Martini . It is the presentation by Bishop Peter D' Itri of the Cathedral of the Virgin on the throne , to the left of the Virgin is depicted St. Christopher, to the right of the Pope Above this scene Triune God surrounded by a host of angels rejoicing . In the apse is Right hosted the canvas of the Risen Christ [13] by an unknown artist dating from the fifteenth century.

The Belfries
The cathedral of Conversano, with bell towers side , is a type of Apulian Romanesque style ranked by Mario D'Onofrio .
At the present state of research , we can not say that at one time the first tower , one on via Lamberti , was the oldest and outside the building , because we know that the Sylos , analyzing the writings of the architect Simone believes that the tower of ' watch was previously a bell tower for the presence of holes from which they ran the ropes for the bells .
In essence, the southern bell tower was probably coeval with the other , so both towers existed along with the majestic Cathedral . [14]
The bell tower via Lamberti was incorporated in the chapel of St. Antonio during the fifteenth century , for whom the bell did not exist when the cathedral was made only by the transept ( the first bishop of the work of Peter D' Itri ) , but was lifted almost simultaneously with the Romanesque Cathedral . On this bell tower and its height is sailing a diatribe imported Church , that among the bishops of the Diocese of Conversano and abbesses mitrate of St. Benedict. In fact abbesses mitrate osteggiavano raising the bell tower of the Cathedral (then the tallest spire indicated greater power ) .
The debate had a conclusion in favor of women : the bell tower of St. Benedict, the monastery where they lived abbesses , is higher against the only three-story floor of the bell tower in via Lamberti .

Icon of Our Lady of the Fountain
The cult of the Madonna della Fonte, according to the first town, ie Tarsia , was born around 489 AD by the first protobishop Simplicio , who allegedly imported the icon from the shores of Africa , saving it from a fire, to carry it initially Mussels . Tradition has it that Simplicio was landed in mussels after a storm at sea , the first Saturday in May , and this is the reason why the liturgical feast of the Blessed Virgin of the Source takes place every year on the first Saturday of May.
Around the years 1633-1634 a document attesting that " the first Saturday of May, the feast of Our Lady of solemnizes source in this Cathedral and the sanctity of NS Pope Urban VIII grants plenary indulgence and remission of all sins to those people who truly confessed and communicated to revisit that chapel .... " .
The picture of the Virgin is 88 cm high and 53cm wide , similar to the Madonna della Madia of Monopoly, as a maphorion with stylized folds in azurite , the edge of which is closed to the collar . The child , sitting on his left arm , wearing a short tunic and himation with shod feet , holding a scroll with his left hand and has a wrinkled face .
It is considered local artifact of the late thirteenth century and finds similarity with the works of the other side and the Adriatic , however, with the Latin East . [15]
The image was adorned with several overlapping frames gilded wood , but around 1630 the people of Conversano wanted to replace them with a silver , the current frame was performed in Naples around 1896 on the design of Canon John Simon.
Two silver frames that are preserved in the Basilica , one that is shown in the left aisle , framing the original icon that over the years , special anniversaries , is carried in procession , and the other frames the icon displayed in the month of May and which is solemnly carried in procession every year. This was painted in 1996 , replacing an earlier one, of ancient workmanship, blackened by time .
Today's feast of the patron outside of the Diocese of Conversano and takes place on the fourth Sunday in May , feature the gala procession that winds its way through the main streets of the city on Sunday morning , which are attended by the Bishop of the Diocese with the priests of the parishes and the most important civil and military offices of the city during the procession route are given the blessings of the sea, the countryside and the diocesan seminary .