Dal rilievo all'analisi grafica della basilica di Santa Maria in Foro Claudio a Ventaroli

In southern Italy, the only relevant event in the eleventh century was the alternation between the dominions of the Normans and Lombards. All other facts are only secondary aspects in this ‘drama’. The only exception is Montecassino, which exerted continuous pastoral and cultural influence –sometimes moderate, sometimes clear, but always important– in Terra Sancti Benedicti and its surroundings. After the reorganization of the liturgical space for the Benedictine Abbey of Montecassino (consecrated on 1 October 1071) promoted by the abbot Desiderius –better known to history as Pope Victor III– many churches were built on the model of that important religious site. Those located near the monastery include Santa Maria in Foro Claudio in Ventaroli. This study falls within a broader programme whose scope is to document parts of the national architectural heritage that are little known to the general public. In particular, it extends to identifying relationships and proportions of the ecclesiastical layout considered as fundamental parameters in confirming the historical era, the analysis of architectural language, comparison with analogous exam- ples, and extraction of the rules that enable definition of the typology. This investigation relies on the tools and methods of drawing, surveying, and the study of graphical and bibliographic documents stored in historical archives.