Analysis and Geographical Representation of Cilento’s Monastic Architecture

Abstract

This paper is part of a wider research on the Cilento monastic architectures of Italo-Greek origin located in southern Campania (Italy). The investigation concentrates on the study, updating and analysis of the existing constructions for the enrichment of the geographical information databases of the Cilento. On this opportunity, the analysis focuses specifically on two monuments of Basilian foundation: the Abbey of Santa Maria di Pattano, in Vallo della Lucania, and the church of San Nicola di Myra in Sacco Vecchia. The first case study presents superfetations that make it difficult to read the architectural languages and to interpret its conformation. On the other hand, the church of San Nicola in Myra, despite being located in one of the most famous ghost towns of the Cilento countryside and showing important deterioration, still preserves its original morphology, characterized by a splendid hieratic character that is completely Basilian. The study of these constructions was carried out with digital models and geographic information systems, in order to obtain the original conformation of the Badia of Pattano. The comparative analysis of the information gathered on the other monument was used to obtain the necessary data to clarify and identify the main construction patterns of the Byzantine and Basilian architectures of the area. These data will serve to enrich the current information and, furthermore, to develop more specific multidisciplinary analyses in the future.