Trani - San Martino

Trani may have been founded by Greek settlers, but the known history starts late. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it was dominated by Lombards, Byzantines, Saracens and again Byzantines. With the conquest of southern Italy by the Normans and after 50 days of siege by Robert Guiscard´s troops, Trani became part of the Norman Empire in 1073.

Already under the Byzantines, Trani had become an important port for trade with the Orient. The heyday was in the time of the crusades in the 12th and 13th centuries, when crusaders and merchants mainly went to the Holy Land from Bari and Trani. It became an episcopal see in place of Canosa, destroyed by the Saracens. Frederick II built a massive castle. Under his rule, the city reached its highest point of wealth and prosperity.

The stairs lead down to San Martino, probably the oldest still existing church in Trani. It was built with an adjoining convent in Langobard times, it was first mentioned in 1075.

The church, today about 2,5 metres under street level, was abandoned and later used as a bakehouse and a warehouse. After a long restoration the church was reopened and in 2008 entrusted to the Romanian community and used for Orthodox worship.