Church of St. Maria del Mastro

It was founded in Norman Age in 1083-1084 and dedicated to “megalomartiri” Eustrazio and Catherine. Excavations by the Archaeological Superintendence of Calabria, brought to light several ossuaries, ceramic range,  decorated stucco the twelfth century. The material from the ossuaries can be divided into two groups: everyday material and ritual material. The first group includes a fair amount of bronze and iron buckles, buttons made of bronze or wood, bronze rings, pins and “fermalacci”, all part of the mortuary equipment; in the second group there are shrines fragments, some rosary beads and a series of religious bronze medals. Adjacent to the main entrance there are the remains of the apse located in the East, concerning the foundation of the Church in 1083. The transition from Latin rite to Greek rite in the Diocese, which occurred in 1480, caused the cancellation of the apse that turns eastward. Probably in this period we have the changing of the three naves plan of Norman style into a different layout and background coverage to take advantage of the spaces below as ossuaries. The church was damaged by the earthquake of 1908. In ancient times it was operating the Fraternal Order of St. Mary of Piglianò. It was the protopapale seat. Inside, the structure is covered with colored plaster of the twentieth century. The bell tower is square shaped. It was the protopapale seat. The “Protopapa”  was the chief of the priests of “Borgo Maggiore”.

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