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Church of Saint Gregory the Armenian

Piazza San Nicola - 6010 - 70122
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Description

Current use Church
The Church of San Gregorio is dedicated to St. Gregory the Illuminator, patron saint of Armenia. It is the oldest consecrated church in the city of Bari and is believed to date back to the 10th century. The church is situated within the fortified enclosure of the St. Nicholas Citadel complex, once the seat of the Byzantine Catapan. The Citadel used to include many Greek churches (St. Eustratius, St. Nicholas, St. John the Evangelist), as well as administrative buildings (the Praetorian Prefecture, the guard’s gatehouse, and so on). In 1089, the new Norman rulers demolished all the structures there within except for the Church of St. Gregory, and consigned the area to the city for the construction of the new basilica dedicated to St. Nicholas. The church was probably spared thanks to its amplitude and intrinsic value. The name of St. Gregory first appeared in a document dated 1015, found in the Archives of Saint Nicholas. It refers to the Armenian cleric Mele "cleric, abbas, custos et rector ecclesiae sancti Gregorii" (cleric, abbot, protector and rector of the Church of St. Gregory).
The people of Bari cherished the church, and the eleven epitaphs bearing the surnames of influential families of Bari found on the outer walls confirm this. An inscription dated 1308 on the building’s inner south façade states that, for a certain period of time, the church had been used as a burial ground for members of the St. Gregory Confraternity, hosted in the church as of 1497. In the mid-1900s, the church underwent "in-style restorations” that eliminated 17th and 18th century modifications. Nonetheless, the church has managed to perfectly preserve its Romanesque appearance, with its tripartite façade that corresponds to the three interior naves. The church of St. Gregory also houses the wooden and papier-mâché statues of the Paschal Mystery that are carried in the Good Friday procession on alternate years. In the local dialect, the people of Bari have nicknamed the statues “vendelùse”, i.e. "wind arousers”.

History

Previous buildings Byzantine kastron
The church had not originally been dedicated to St. Gregory. In fact, a 1011 Greek epigraph of the "refounding" of the Byzantine kastron (fort) attests that the Armenian Catapan Basil Mesardonites had built a temple in honour of St. Demetrius, patron saint of the army. Furthermore, it is known that in 1015 the church was ruled by the Armenian cleric Mele, son of the priest Maione of Bari. The change in dedication, therefore, must have occurred around 1040 when the Armenian aristocratic family of Kiri Adralistos became private owners of the church and decided to dedicate it to the Armenian patron saint. The church later became part of the cathedral’s patrimony, but in 1308, Charles of Anjou asked the archbishop Romuald to donate it to the clergy of the Basilica of St. Nicholas. A cemetery for the nobles and clergy was first built around the church, followed by a hostel for pilgrims.

Popular culture

The Church of St. Gregory houses the seat of the Pious Union of Our Lord’s Paschal Mystery Bearers. The Paschal Mystery statues, called “the Mysteries”, depict the stations of Christ's Passion, and are carried in procession on the evening of Good Friday. The “Mysteries” of the city of Bari originated in the second half of the 18th century. At that time, two processions re-evoking Christ's Passion were held for the first time in Bari. The first procession, reportedly the oldest, was organised by the Brotherhood of the Church of the Vallisa, while the second, by the Church of San Pietro delle Fosse (St. Peter of the Moats) near the port. When the religious orders were suppressed, a congregation called “of the Cross and Passion of Jesus”, officially recognized in 1850, asked the latter church to have the statues. Consequently, they received the “Altarpiece of the Passion with five statues: Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lord Jesus Christ in Death, Christ Carrying the Cross, Ecce Homo at the Column, Christ in the Olive Grove”, and housed them in the Church of St. Gregory. The two groups of statues were simultaneously carried in procession on Good Friday, creating competition and chaos. Therefore, in 1825, the Archbishop B. Clary ordered that the two processional groups be carried on alternate years (even years for the statues of the Vallisa; odd years for those of St. Gregory).


How do I get there?

How do I reach downtown?
airport Airport  

From Viale Enzo Ferrari continue in the direction of Strada Provinciale 204 / Viale Gabriele d'Annunzio / SP204.
Take Viale Europa, SS16, Via Napoli and Corso Vittorio Veneto in the direction of Via Venice to Bari.
Follow Via Venezia and Largo Papa Urbano II to Piazza S. Nicola.

motorway Toll road  

From the toll booth at Bari Sud of the Autostrada A14,
Take E843, Viale Giuseppe Tatarella, the underpass Sottopassaggio Giuseppe Filippo, Via Brigata Regina.
Continue on Corso Antonio de Tullio in the direction of Via Venezia to Bari.
Follow Via Venezia and Largo Papa Urbano II to Piazza S. Nicola.

other Public Transport  

AMTAB A bus lines (rest area in Piazza Massari) #2, #10, #12/, and #35 stop near Largo Abate Elia.

park Parking lots  

Lungomare Imperatore Augusto-Area Parcheggio Museo Archeologico

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