Crypt of Original Sin, Matera
The Crypt of Original Sin, Cripta del Peccato Originale in Italian, is the Sistine Chapel of rupestrian churches. The well-preserved frescoes that adorn this cave monastery, known as the Cave of One Hundred Saints in local lore, are one of the most important works of medieval art in the Mediterranean. Not only do the panels narrate the principal events of the bible they were painted Benedictine monks in the early 9th century, five hundred years before Giotto.
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Rock-cut, Monolithic or Rupestrian?
 The cave churches found in Puglia and Basilicata, two regions in southern Italy, are neither rock-cut nor monolithic. Both rock-cut and cave churches are made of rock but they differ in an important way. Rock-cut churches are cut by man whereas cave churches are carved by nature. Like caves, monolithic churches are built out of a single block of stone. Yet unlike caves, monolithic churches are complex buildings. The cave churches found in southern Italy are simply rupestrian meaning made of rock. |