Who we are

In 1850 work began on the construction of the current mother church, by Anselmo Gasparri and Federico de Nuntio thanks to the finances and work of the priests and the Biccarese people. The church was completed in 1875 and dedicated "To Christ the Savior and Maria Assunta". The above results from the two plaques placed at the main entrance of the church. As we continue we will talk a little about the history of building the mother church. As previously mentioned, the works began towards the end of the year 1850, and consisted of the demolition works. Federico de Nuntio was in charge of the works. The then mayor Tocco expressed himself as follows: "I commissioned Signor de Nuntio to concretize his ideas with heartfelt drawings of the plan, a three-part elevation, both of the current state and of the future". Federico de Nuntio went to work. On December 4, 1851 the church appears partly collapsed and partly close to collapsing. The question of the legal status reappears in this period linked to the economic problem. In fact, a controversy emerged between the municipality and the royal crown regarding the alleged boss. This controversy was resolved by the ministry of the interior which ordered the town hall to bear the costs because the ministry of worship did not have sufficient funds when needed. At this stage the demolition work continued. In 1854 we find some works carried out such as, the demolition of the part that threatened the underlying houses, it was a question of removing and clearing the foundations and building a good part of the succorpo, setting up solid foundations, raising the walls and covering them with bricks, building the pillars, prepare the columns, launch the vaults, prepare the roofs, turn the dome, install the floors, plaster the classroom, organize the furniture and decoration. All this went on in a period of greater uncertainty, due to the question of funding; as the work was undoubtedly grandiose and required the help of all the components involved: the central government and the municipality, the diocese and the parish, the chapter and the private individuals, the brotherhoods and the population. The finding of these funds also required the presence of some person capable of coordinating the forces and directing them to the realization of the work. Various personalities followed one another but among them emerges Anselmo Gasparri who gave his utmost commitment to lead the company. As often happens, the most committed men do not come to see the result of their efforts so it was also for Gasparri, who died in April 1868. In this period of uncertainty, the reconstruction works of the church undoubtedly suffered pauses and slowdowns because of the grandeur of the work. The letter that the Ministry of Grace and Justice and of the Cults of the Kingdom of Italy, sent from Florence to the prefect of Foggia on 20 October 1865, documents this impression at the highest levels. According to the Ministry of Grace and Justice, the municipality of Biccari undertook a grandiose cult building when it was enough to restore the existing ones or at least remain within the limits of need. In fact, the letter shows that the municipality of Biccari undertook the construction of its parish church with an expertise of over one hundred and ten thousand lire, and that subsequently asked for a subsidy for the funds of the general bursar of Naples which, already burdened by other expenses, would be been unable to grant further subsidies. Among the concerns that accompanied the various phases of the reconstruction there was one of a social nature: the employment of the many workers. In fact, the construction site offered work to many workers, so it was necessary to continue with the greatest possible continuity. Reliefs of this sensitivity can be found in the report of the recently started work, which Federico de Nuntio made. It insists that funds be allocated for the construction so as to give livelihoods to the laborers in the winter. Even the city council was not indifferent to this problem, and highlights the need to employ workers, given the lack of work and the increase in food. Among the various interventions to be carried out was the purchase by the municipality of some private houses in order to be able to demolish them and thus allow adequate breathing space for the facade of the new church and the succorpo. The work continued by digging the foundations, building the succorpo, elevating the columns and capitals, building the vaults and renovating the chapels. In 1875, after twenty five years of work, the church was practically completed!
On February 28 of that same year Federico de Nuntio died. Unfortunately, the legitimate enthusiasm of the authorities and the population for the inauguration of the building was frozen very shortly afterwards due to the earthquake, as a result of which the brick vault of the grandiose church fell at the same time, which caused considerable damage to the floor and further canopy failures. It started again. New appraisals, new expenses, new requests for contributions, new commitment on the part of all in the form of labor supply or offer of money and materials, many years of effort and sacrifice, all led to renewed joy for the conclusion. In 1880 the church made entirely plastered and whitewashed looks like a gallery. In 1883 the municipal administration decided to remember with two plaques the problematic and fascinating history of the building of the mother church. They are the two tombstones that welcome us at the entrance. Recent history, that of our century, undoubtedly records more positive events for our mother church, together with situations and problems. The war events, especially those of the Second World War, while heavily affecting the nearby city of Foggia, spared the countries of the sub-Apennine belt. The same cannot be said with regard to natural events: daily weather and earthquakes rage against man's works, however solid they may be. The mother church of Biccari is no exception to this rule. Therefore, once again we will have to roll up our sleeves and start renovations and restoration works. In 1961, due to some now worn beams, the central nave suffered a failure in the initial part but the decisive year was 1962. Two events, of a completely different nature, collaborated in determining new structural and decorative choices for our church. The first was the earthquake, which produced serious lesions in the wall fabric and especially in the vault, with the fall of plaster areas, the other was the call of the Vatican II Council which in a few years would produce the reform of the liturgy with consequent adaptations of churches to new needs. With these reforms it was a question of making the mother church practicable again but also of transforming it according to the letter and the spirit of the conciliar liturgical reform. In these years the centenary of the martyrdom of St. Donato was celebrated, killed, according to tradition, in 363 during the persecution of Julian the Apostate. The facade of the church preserves the memory of the event on a plaque. The floor and the arrangement of the niches were built even before the seismic event, and in 1966 the problem of roofing was tackled, using, among other things, a system of terraces that favor the flow of water. Other works such as interventions on the cornices, on the dome, on the apse, on the bell tower, on the facade they were built in 1985. The main altar was rearranged in 1970, so as to correspond to the new liturgical mentality. In 1983 the mother church of Biccari obtained a remarkable recognition, from the superintendent to the Environmental, Artistic and Historical Architectural Heritage of Puglia, which gave it the qualification of historical-artistic interest as an example of neoclassical architecture. Federico de Nuntio gives us a neoclassical church with a general approach, but with evident recoveries of baroque elements. On a small square stands the majestic facade of the church. Its height reaches 20 meters. It is located on a slope. In order to proceed with the construction, de Nuntio had to face the huge difference in height between the actual church and its foundations. The solution was found in building a succorpo. It was not an original solution, since the previous church also had one but it was certainly a useful solution and, from an aesthetic point of view, absolutely grandiose, in fact, if going around the sides, we go to the apse of the church on Via Le Grazie, the spectacle of monumental architecture, almost a fortress, appears to our eyes. This apsidal surface, which develops along four floors, is even more so than the facade, rationally divided and divided into two protruding bodies that frame a central area. A two-flight staircase leads to the entrance of the succorpo. A string course surrounds the building all around, soberly but clearly marking the distinction between the upper part (the church) and the lower part (the succorpo). The mother church is a hymn to the light! The classroom in the shape of a Latin cross is 35 meters long and 25 meters wide at the maximum point. To these values must be added the two quadrangular sacristies, whose side measures 6 meters, and the thickness of the walls. It is divided into three naves: a larger one that culminates in the presbytery, and the other two lateral ones, in which respectively five chapels open, which culminate in the arms of the transept and in a corresponding apse chapel. This subdivision is obtained by two rows of stone columns, placed on high cubic bases and surmounted by Ionic capitals on which the architrave, the frieze and the notched frame rest.

FROM THE BOOK "A Hymn to Life"
TEXT BY VINCENZO FRANCE

PHOTO BY LUIGI SBERNA