Modugno ( Barese: ) is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' of the

Metropolitan City of Bari The Metropolitan City of Bari ( it, Città Metropolitana di Bari) is a Metropolitan cities of Italy, metropolitan city in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Bari. It replaced the Province of Bari and includes the city of Bari a ...

, Apulia, southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. Before the 1970s this town was mainly dedicated to agriculture; since construction of an industrial zone, it has become an important factory site in the region. Modugno is from the shore. The landscape is mainly flat.

History

This site has been inhabited since prehistory. The current town was likely founded in the early Middle Ages, during the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

domination of northern Italy; in the 11th century it came under the control of the

Normans The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...

. During the 19th century, the town came under the local rule of the Dragone Family.

Main sights

*''Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Grotta'': this sanctuary originated as a rock church in the 8th century, where

Basilian Basilian may refer to a number of groups who are followers of Saint Basil the Great and specifically to: * Basilian monks (founded c. 356), monks who follow the rule of Saint Basil the Great, in modern use refers to monks of Eastern Catholic Chur ...

monks took refuge during the

Iconoclast Iconoclasm (from Greek: grc, εἰκών, lit=figure, icon, translit=eikṓn, label=none + grc, κλάω, lit=to break, translit=kláō, label=none)From grc, εἰκών + κλάω, lit=image-breaking. ''Iconoclasm'' may also be conside ...

controversy in Byzantium. In the 11th century a Benedictine abbey was constructed, which was used by crusaders en route to the Holy Land during the following centuries. In 1313 the abbey was suppressed by King

Robert of Naples Robert of Anjou ( it, Roberto d'Angiò), known as Robert the Wise ( it, Roberto il Saggio; 1276 – 20 January 1343), was King of Naples, titular King of Jerusalem and Count of Provence and Forcalquier from 1309 to 1343, the central figure of I ...

and abandoned. *''Church of Santa Maria Santissima Annunziata'': In the 11th century, this church was the cathedral of the short-lived diocese of Modugno. It was restored in 1347–1518 and again in 1626 under the direction of Bartolomeo Amendola. The church consists of a large single nave, with a large . The bell tower, in Apulian Romanesque style, was completed in 1615; it features a series of

mullion A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...

ed windows and stands and more than 60 m. The interior houses the ''Annunciation'' (1472) by

Bartolomeo Vivarini Bartolomeo or Bartolommeo Vivarini (c. 1432c. 1499) was an Italian Renaissance painter, known to have worked from 1450 to 1499. Biography Bartolomeo's brother Antonio Vivarini, and his nephew (also possibly his pupil) Alvise Vivarini, were als ...

. *''Church of Sant'Antonio'': this small

structure was built in the 14th century outside the medieval walls. *''Church of San Giovanni Battista'' (14th century): this Byzantine-style church was once associated to a city hospital *''Church of San Giuseppe delle Monacelle'': This 16th and 17th century church was built and decorated in Baroque style. *''Sala del Sedile dei Nobili'' (current appearance dating from the 18th century) *''Municipal Palace'': Now a city hall, the structure retains a cloister and bell tower from the original Benedictine abbey *''Palazzo Angarano-Maranta'' (18th century) and ''Palazzo del I ramo della famiglia Capitaneo'' (16th century), both in Renaissance style. *''Il Monaco

menhir A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be found ...

'', on the road towards Bitonto

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Cities and towns in Apulia