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A Magnificent Discovery
The town of Anagni is known in Italy as the > since it produced four popes for Rome during the Middle Ages. Its main monument is the Cathedral-Basilica of Santa Maria, a temple of Romanesque origin (1071-1104), which was built on a hill over previous Roman ruins (4th century BC). The church hides a dazzling treasure beneath its floor, the Crypt of San Magnus, created by the early inhabitants of the hills to safeguard the relics of local martyrs like San Magno himself, who in the 3rd century was the bishop of Trani and responsible for spreading Christianity in the region. Today he is the patron saint of this town in the Lazio region, located 50 km southeast of Rome.
The Crypt of San Magnus is an exceptional example of medieval religious art. Created at the same time as the Cathedral, it houses some of the most valuable fresco cycles preserved in Italy. Hidden beneath the main cathedral nave, the space measures over 500 square meters and consists of three cross aisles with three side apses, supported by twelve columns that create 21 vaulted ceilings, blank canvases that were masterfully decorated during the 12th and 13th centuries. Along with the splendor of the paintings, the space also conveys a collected atmosphere that allows one to imagine the artists painting the scenes by candlelight.
This > from the Middle Ages features painted scenes in dozens of panels and numerous friezes, whose colors and shadows are remarkably well preserved. Among all the murals stand out the fresco cycles that merge themes of faith and science, a rarity for the time and thus extraordinary. For example, the depiction of the ancient Greek scholars, Hippocrates and Galen, who are shown describing Plato's elements as written in his book Timaeus. Also notable are the murals on the Salvation of Man, from Creation to the Apocalypse, and those depicting it as the center of the Universe, surrounded by concentric circles with the seasons and elements of nature. Other cycles are dedicated to the lives of saints and martyrs of the time. It is believed that the authors of these fresco paintings were three artisans mentioned in ancient documents as >, apparently also the creators of the magnificent vestibule of the Basilica of the Four Crowned Saints of Rome (4th century).
The Cathedral of Santa Maria is the main monument of Anagni. The construction in its current form dates back to the 11th century. At that time, churches were built accompanied by a tower, which could serve as a bell tower as well as a defensive watchtower, visible from afar, to attract pilgrims or deter potential attackers. A stroll through this charming enclave, immortalized in literature by Dante Alighieri, takes one past Romanesque bell towers, corners with Gothic thresholds, and some quaint trattorias. The Palace of Boniface VIII, another monument in the city, is now a museum that showcases how the popes of the time lived.