Importante architectural complex built in the 10th century, the Monastery of St. Benedict houses rich testimonies of art, a medieval cloister (11th-13th centuries) of trapezoidal shape with carved capitals, mosaic decorations, and conventual structures of various kinds. The history of this monastery is very special, famous for its name Monstrum Apuliae (Monster of Apulia), because between the 13th and 19th centuries it was the seat of mitred abbesses, powerful nuns who exercised true feudal and ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the territory. It stands out with its two bell towers, one dating back to the Norman period, the other, decorated with rich majolica, purely decorative dating back to the Baroque period. Inside there is a Romanesque style church. The polychrome mosaic decoration of the church walls, high on the outside, is particularly original, forming a continuous band with a series of geometric motifs alternating with palmettes and twists; panels decorated with floral motifs and with a winged griffin constitute another decorative element enlivening the walls of the building. It houses the Civic Archaeological Museum, which exhibits the archaeological evidence of the city from prehistoric times to Late Antiquity.
Information about the Civic Archaeological Museum of Conversano
Via San Benedetto, 16
70014 Conversano (Bari)
0804951975
coop.armida@libero.it
https://www.comune.convetìrsano.ba.it
Source: MIBACT
