IRSINA

Irsina is one of the oldest town in Basilicata, as attested by numerous archaeological remains from Ancient Greek and Roman times. The Cathedral, dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, was built in the 13th C and reworked in 1770 with a Baroque façade and a gothic-style belltower with double lancet windows. On the interior, there is a baptismal font made of red marble and several 18th-century paintings of the Neapolitan School. There is also a marble statue of St Euphemia, a work attributed to Mantegna by Clara Gelao, director of the Provincial Art Museum of Bari, supported by art critics such as Vittorio Sgarbi; this work was on display at the Mantegna exhibition in Mantua in 2006. Particularly beautiful is also the church belonging to the Franciscan Convent (formerly, a Castle of Frederick II) with its single nave plan and chapels on the sides. It goes back to the 12thC, was restored several times from the 16th C until it acquired the 18th C Baroque appearance it still has at present. The church has a wooden crucifix from the 17th C placed above the altar on the left and a 17th C sculpture of St.Vitus 14thC frescoes from the School of Umbria and Siena depicting the Redemptor, the Incoronation of the Virgin Mary, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.