Audiobooks by Caterina Amato

Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore, Roma. Italia (Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome. Italy)

The audioguide tells the story, describes architecture and reports interesting facts about the largest Roman church dedicated to the Mother of God and founded between 432 and 440 by order of Pope Sixtus III. This building also has a third name, dating back to the 7th century, which is that of "basilica of Santa Maria ad praesepem" because it holds the relic of the manger, traditionally considered the place where Jesus was born: manger tables, along with stones from the stall, some hay and bushes, transported from Bethlehem to Rome, are all relics kept in a precious glass teak, beneath the main altar. Once inside the basilica, we are faced with a magnificent spectacle of splendor and wealth. The wooden coffered ceiling was made by Giuliano da Sangallo, as a gift to Pope Alexander VI, part of the monarchs of Spain, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. It was gilded with the first gold imported from Peru. In front of the Sistine Chapel is the tomb of Bernini. In the Borghese Chapel there are the funerary monuments of the popes Paolo V and Clement VIII. At the center of the chapel stands the icon of the "Salus Populi Romani" brought from Byzantium. It is attributed to San Luca's hand. In this chapel there is a sacristy, to which the Capitular Room is adjacent. Below the chapel are the tombs of the Borghese family, including that of Paolina Bonaparte. Adjacent to the Pauline Chapel we find the Sforza Chapel, probably of Michelangelo's design. You can examine the 3D model of the church and observe its interior through the MuByz App. The audioguide has been made by professionals in the field of history and art.

Caterina Amato (Author), Clarissa Stefan (Narrator)

Audiobook

Arch of Costantine. Rome. Italy

The audioguide tells the story, describes the architecture and reports interesting facts about the triumphal arch of Constantine, in Rome, between the Colosseum and the Palatine, and was made by the founder of Constantinople. The three-hole arc was built in the years 312-315 to celebrate Constantine's victory over Massenzio, in the battle fought at Milvio bridge, but also the tenth anniversary of the Emperor's government. The arch of Constantine is the latest of the three triumphal arches surviving in Rome. To decorate it, new bas-reliefs were created, but mostly decorative burial elements were used, drawn from older monuments, probably destroyed by the fires of 283 and 307 AD. The Arch of Constantine is like a big book that shows us more than two centuries of Roman art. This magnificent work of art has been preserved to this day due to the fact that Constantine was considered the first Christian Emperor. It is no coincidence that, in his dedication, his victory is presented as the fulfillment of God's will. That is why the triumphal arch did not suffer the fate of many pagan monuments, although there are traces of that culture. Until the end of the 15th century the monument was studied and restored, several times. In 1530 Lorenzino de Medici was expelled from Rome for daring to mutilate some of the heads of the bas-reliefs. The heads were reintegrated only in the 18th century. You can examine the 3D model of the church and observe its interior through the MuByz App. The audioguide has been made by professionals in the field of history and art.

Caterina Amato (Author), Karolina Starin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Basilica of San Nicola. Bari. Italy

The audioguide tells the story, describes the architecture and reports interesting facts about the basilica of St. Nicholas, widely known especially because it preserves the remains of the Saint Nicholas. Bari has been known since Roman times. It was dominated by the Byzantine and longobards, in the 9th century and by the Greeks and Arabs, then it became the capital of Longobardia and in the X century it was the residence of the Catapan, Byzantine governor. Although the city was conquered by the Normans, in 1071 it retained its Byzantine cultural heritage and the local clergy remained Byzantine. The basilica is full of unique Byzantine bas-reliefs. In the gallery Byzantine capitals with carved animals and motifs are on display. In this museum there are also slabs and fragments of monuments from the VI-XII century made by Byzantine school masters. A commemorative plaque in the south matroneo and the presbyteral enclosure (1130-1140) decorated with floral motifs in the Byzantine style, testifies to a strong Byzantine influence in the art of the XII century. One of the most important pieces on display is a low marble relief, perhaps originally part of a pulpit. It depicts an angel with the book in the left hand and with the right hand raised, that is, in the pose of a teacher. Underneath the transept there is a crypt. The environment is very rich, with 36 bays and 36 vaults, supported by columns with various capitals, Byzantine and late Byzantine, many of them made between 1087 and 1089. In a corner of the crypt there is a column of porphyrus, isolated in an inferriate. It is considered miraculous and is an important place for pilgrimage. According to legend, it was miraculously brought here by Mira, and placed in the crypt by St. Nicholas in person on the eve of his consecration. You can examine the 3D model of the church and observe its interior through the MuByz App. The audioguide has been made by professionals in the field of history and art.

Caterina Amato (Author), Karolina Starin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Basilica of Santa Maria della Roccella. Borgia. Italy

The vocal beauty of this church has been heard through the centuries and also through the descriptions of the many travelers who visited these places, which represented one of the stages of the Grand Tour (an integral part of the aristocratic education in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries). The history of the settlement dates back to the time of ancient Greece. The Greeks called this city Skylletion (references to it were already made in 6th century BC), while in Roman times it was called Schilacium or Scolacium. Old authors, such as Strabone and Pliny, attributed the foundation of the Greek city to Menestown, who landed on these lands, during the Trojan War. According to another legend, resumed also by Cassiodoro, the city was founded by Ulisse. Borgia, like Scolacium, was under Byzantine rule, in the tenth, eleventh and 15th centuries. Squillace was dominated by the Aragonese and in 1494 passed onto Goffredo Borgia, the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI,, as a dowry. From that moment, the Borgia ruled those lands, until 1735, and gave the city its current name. This territory was always populated and was chosen by anyone who wanted to dominate Calabria. Roberto the Guiscardo, Norman king of Puglia, Calabria and Sicily, lived here temporarily, from 1059 to 1085. The date of construction of the Basilica of Santa Maria provoked controversy among scholars. It was hypothesized that the church was constructed during the reign of Constantine I, or later, in the V-VI or VII-VIII centuries. It is very likely that the basilica was built by Greek orthodox monks before the Norman conquest. The church, whose ruins have been preserved to this day, was built in the Norman period, in the early years of the reign of Sicily, and dates back to the years 1130-1150. However, it's Byzantine influences are evident.

Caterina Amato (Author), Karolina Starin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Church of Santa Maria in Domnica. Rome. Italy

The audioguide tells the story, describes architecture and reports interesting facts about the basilica of Santa Maria in Domnica, located in Rome, on the summit of Monte Celio. The church is also known as "Santa Maria alla Navicella", because of the ship-shaped sculpture, from the Roman era, located in the piazzetta, in front of the church. Today, this sculpture has been transformed into a fountain. According to the legend, the ship-shaped sculpture was a votive for Isis, the protector of sailors, offered by Egyptian sailors who had come to Rome. It was found near the Colosseum. Particular attention is paid to the decoration of the central apse. They lively colors are striking, especially since many of the mosaics, of the apse, date back to the 9th century and represent work from the Byzantine school. Since the mosaic is in line with Byzantine canons, it is believed that it may be the work of oriental artists who had fled to Rome after the outbreak of iconoclastic politics. You can examine the 3D model of the church and observe its interior, through the MuByz App. The audioguide has been made by professionals in the field of history and art.

Caterina Amato (Author), Karolina Starin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Church of Santa Maria. Amendolara. Italy

The audioguide tells the story, describes the architecture and reports interesting facts about the church. In the city of Amendolara there are 7 Byzantine churches and another, also made in the same style, but in a later era. In the immediate vicinity of the city, there are caves that were once inhabited by hermits, which allow us to establish the tenth century as a period of settlement for the city. The church of Santa Maria is located in the historic center. It is a single nave church, a type of construction, dating to the 11th century. It is most likely that it was built on the remains of an older Greek church, which in turn was built on the ruins of a pagan temple. The place on which the church stands is Amendolara's oldest place of worship. The visitor's gaze inevitably falls on the largest element of the church, the large dome that towers over the entire building, occupying the back of the church. The church building consists of two nuclei. The first nucleus that of the façade, is directly linked to the octagonal plan, above which the massive cupola rises. The church is characterized by details that recall the Byzantine style: on its brickwork, four windows open, extending across the perimeter around the drum; and there are dark tiles that resemble lace and create the impression of embroidery. The same tiles cover the other roof of the building. You can examine the 3D model of the church and observe its interior through the MuByz App. The audioguide has been made by professionals in the field of history and art.

Caterina Amato (Author), Karolina Starin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Constantina's Mausoleum, Rome. Italy

The audioguide tells the story, describes architecture and reports interesting facts about the mausoleum of Santa Costanza, the daughter of the founder of Constantinopol, which is one of the main examples of late-ancient architecture among Roman monuments. This building was built and dedicated to the daughter of Constantine the Great, the Byzantine emperor who founded Constantinople. Most researchers believe it dates back to the years 337-350, when Constantine lived in Rome. The church we see today (Sant'Agnese outside the walls) is not the original church of Sant'Agnese, but a reconstruction, from the seventh century, when Pope Onorio I decided to erect a new construction on the ruins of the Basilica of Constantine. At the base of the Mausoleum's architecture there are exceptional Roman models such as the Pantheon, but its structure is innovative with its concentric circular spaces, borrowed from the Roundabout of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, in Jerusalem, whose construction was ordered by Constantine himself and his mother Elena. You can examine the 3D model of the church and observe its interior through the MuByz App. The audioguide has been made by professionals in the field of history and art.

Caterina Amato (Author), Karolina Starin (Narrator)

Audiobook