Ruvo Cathedral (Concattedrale di Ruvo di Puglia) is now a co-cathedral in the Diocese of Molfetta-Ruvo-Giovinazzo-Terlizzi. The building is an important example of late Apulian Romanesque architecture, built between the 12th and 13th centuries, with several later alterations.
The current exterior is the result of early 20th-century restoration works which removed the Baroque additions. The church has a sloped façade with three portals: the central and larger one, flanked by two columns standing on lions and surmounted by griphons, has internal reliefs which were once part of an earlier construction. They depict 'Christ with the Twelve Apostles', other scenes of the Redeemer's life and plant motifs. The smaller ones, at the sides, have a simpler shape, with two semi-columns supporting ogival arches; they also belonged to previous buildings.
Above the portal is a double mullioned window with a bas-relief of the 'Archangel Michael Defeating the Devil', and above it, a 16th-century rose window with twelve radiating columns. This is in turn surmounted by the Sedente ('Sitting One'), an enigmatic figure which has been variously identified as Robert III of Loritello (who funded the construction), while at the top of façade is a statue of the Redeemer. The bell tower, in a different style, most likely formed part of the medieval city's walls.
The interior is divided into a nave and two aisles, ending into three apses, with an orthogonal transept. The nave, like the transept, features a trussed ceiling and, at its sides, has a fake passageway (matroneum) under which are corbels with human, animal or bestial depictions. It stands on two rows of piers, which are each different from another. Some are cruciform, while others are squared; some capitals are sculpted with elements taken from the Christian or medieval mythology, while others feature simpler plant or abstract motifs. The aisles are cross vaulted.
At the end of the nave is a 19th-century ciborium, inspired by that in the Basilica of San Nicola at Bari. Of the chapels added in Baroque or later styles, only two survive: the Chapel of the Sacred Heart (19th-century) and the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament. Artworks include the wooden statue of Saint Blaise, Ruvo's patron saint (16th-century), the silver relic case of the same saint, a panel of the Virgin of Constantinople and a 16th-century wooden crucifix. There are also traces of frescoes, executed by Marco Pino's workshop, depicting the Flagellation of Christ.
The church's subterranean rooms include the remains of a Palaeo-Christian church (5th-6th centuries) and Roman and Peucetian tombs.
References:The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.
Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.