Castellaneta Cathedral is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It is the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Castellaneta. The first cathedral on the site was initially dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Bari, and dated at the latest from the Norman occupation of the last decades of the 11th century. In the 14th century, it was replaced with a Romanesque structure with a basilica layout of a central nave and two aisles separated by columns, all three terminating in semicircular apses. The dedication was changed at this time to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
Three chapels were later added: the Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament (Santissimo Sacramento) in 1538 and the Chapel of Mary the Consoler (Santa Maria Consolatrice) in 1643, both founded by confraternities; and the Chapel of the Most Holy Crucifix (Santissimo Crocifisso). There is also a chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas, with Romanesque capitals. In 1771, a new white limestone façade was added. Today, the bell-tower retains some of the Romanesque-Gothic elements. In the 18th century, new polychrome altars were built. The Bishop's Palace is adjacent.
References:House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.