Teramo - Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta

Teramo was a flourishing city in Roman times. The Visigoths under Alaric I destroyed the city in 410. After the Gothic War in the 6th century, the city became Byzantine. Later it was a Lombard fief and part of the Duchy of Spoleto.

In 1129 the city was conquered by the Normans. In 1140 it passed into the possession of Roger II of Sicily, the first king of Sicily. During the fighting that followed Roger's coronation, Teramo was destroyed by a Norman force under Robert II of Loritello. In 1268 the rule of the House of Hohenstaufen ended and was replaced by the House of Anjou.

After Robert II of Loritello had destroyed the previous church "Santa Maria Aprutensis", the construction of the present church began in 1158. The church was completed in Romanesque style and consecrated in 1176.

In 1331-1335 the building was extensively rebuilt. The northern part was extended. The extension was in Gothic style.

The new portal was also added, decorated with Cosmatesque mosaics, dated 1332. The portal is flanked by two columns supported by lions, they in turn support two statues, attributed to Nicola da Guardiagrele. The current shape of the new façade, and the Ghibelline merlons, are most likely later additions. In the late 15th century a triangular Gothic tympanum was placed over the portal, housing niches with statues.