Artistic remains in an ancient Christian place of worship in Termoli,

History and legend merge when it comes to reporting on the origins of the mother church dedicated to St. Mary of the Purification. Unfortunately, due to the destruction of old archives perpetrated over the centuries by invading armies and earthquakes no documents currently exist in the Termoli region to help us establish the history of the cathedral from its inception. Nevertheless, we know a church was built before the year 1000 followed by a second place of worship, built on the same spot. Several remains can rightfully be traced back to this second church: the apses and fragments of the mosaic floor found during restoration of the current cathedral in the mid-twentieth century. Accordingly, these remains represent some of the oldest and most important artistic and architectural artefacts in the Molise region. Eighty years after their discovery we still know very little about when they were built, the technique used to build them or the workmen who created them; nor do we have information about their symbolic meaning or the event that damaged the mosaic floor. Although the fact similar works do not exist in the vicinity has discouraged comparative studies, it emphasises the unique and extraordinary nature of these artefacts and ultimately prompted this geometric and photographic survey to document the state-of-the-art of the mosaics.