The Church of Santa Sofia in Benevento, included in the 2011 UNESCO World Heritage List, is part of the serial site, of 7 places, called “Lombards in Italy: places of power (568-774)”, which embraces all Italy, starting from Friuli it reaches Apulia, passing through Lombardy and Umbria.
The Church of Santa Sofia in Benevento was built in the eighth century A.D. by the Lombard duke Arechi II. ascended elsewhere in 758, who started a project of patronage, with the construction of prestigious and solemn monuments, as a mirror of his ambitions.
Since its foundation, the church has been conceived as a sanctuary not only for the Lombard duke, but also and above all for the entire social and territorial organism placed under his dominion.
Recently restored and splendidly preserved, it represents one of the finest examples of early medieval architecture.
Why visiting Benevento?
The advice is to come to Benevento for a day trip: a city rich in important historical and cultural heritage.
From the marvelous Trajan’s Arch, erected in honour of the Roman emperor of the same name, to the Roman Theatre from the 1st century A.D., the Cathedral, the remains and walls of the Longobards, the traces of the Samnites and much more, ending with the ‘grafts’ of contemporary art in the city, first and foremost Mimmo Paladino’s Hortus Conclusus.
