TRANI

This article appears in Volume V27, Page 169 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: TOO-TUM

TRANI , a seaport and episcopal see of Apulia, Italy, on the Adriatic, in the province of Bari, and 26 m. by rail W.N.W. of that town, 23 ft. above sea-level. Pop. (1901), 34,688. Trani has lost its old walls and bastions, but the 13th-century

Gothic

GOTHIC

citadel is used as a prison. Some of the streets remain much as they were in the medieval period, and many of the houses display more or less of Norman decoration. The

cathedral

CATHEDRAL

(dedicated to St Nicholas the Pilgrim, a Greek assassinated at Trani in 1094 and canonized by Urban II.), on a raised open site near the sea, was consecrated, before its completion, in 1143; it is a basilica with three apses; a large crypt and a lofty tower, the latter erected in 1230-1239 by the architect whose name appears on the ambo in the

cathedral

CATHEDRAL

of Bitonto, Nicolaus Sacerdos. It has an arch under it, being supported partly on the side

wall

WALL (O. Eng. weal, weall, Mid. Eng. wal, wane, adapted from Lat. vallum, rampart; the
original
- ORIGINAL
O. Eng. word for a wall was wag or tenth)
WALL, RICHARD (1694-1778)

of the church, and partly on a massive pillar. The arches of the Romanesque portal are beautifully ornamented, in a manner suggestive of Arab influence; the bronze doors, executed by Barisanus of Trani in 1175, rank among the best of their period in southern Italy. The capitals of the pillars in the crypt are fine examples of the Romanesque. The interior of the cathedral has been barbarously modernized, but the crypt is fine. Near the harbour is the

Gothic

GOTHIC

palace of the doges of Venice, which is now used as a

seminary

SEMINARY (Lat. seminarium, from semen, seed)

. The church of the Ognissanti has a Romanesque relief of the Annunciation over the

door

DOOR (corresponding to the Gr. Bbpa,. Lat. fores or valvae; the English word, with other forms common in allied languages, comes from the same Indo-European
stem
- STEM (O. Eng. staefn, stemn, cf. Du. stain, Ger. Stamm, &c., probably related to " staff ")
as the Gr. Obpa and Lat. fares)

. S. Giacomo and S. Francesco also have Romanesque facades and the latter and S.

Andrea

ANDREA, GIOVANNI (1275-1348)

have " Byzantine " domes. The vicinity of Trani produces an excellent wine (Moscato di Trani) ;and its

figs

FIGS

, oil, almonds and grain are also profitable articles of trade.
Trani is the Turenum of the itineraries. It first became a flourishing place under the Normans and during the crusades, but attained the acme of its prosperity as a seat of trade with the

East

EAST
EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

under the Angevin princes. The harbour, however, has lost its importance.

End of Article: TRANI

If you wish, you can link directly to this article.

<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/TOO_TUM/TRANI.html">
TRANI
</a>

(Previous)
TRANENT

(Next)
TRANQUEBAR

JCSM was founded in 1997 and exists to help the community and bring people into a life-changing and productive relationship with Jesus Christ. JCSM offers over 200,000 free web pages, including its weekly inspirational emails that were sent continuously for over a decade.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
1-888-887-0417 or Email