The city ofTurenum appears for the first time in theTabula Peutingeriana, a 13th-century copy of an ancient Romanitinerary. The name, also spelledTirenum, was that of theGreek heroDiomedes. The city was later occupied by theLombards and theByzantines. First certain news of an urban settlement in Trani, however, trace back only to the 9th century.
The most flourishing age of Trani was the 11th century, when it became anepiscopal see in place ofCanosa, destroyed by theSaracens. Its port, well placed for theCrusades, then developed greatly, becoming the most important on theAdriatic Sea. In the year 1063 Trani issued theOrdinamenta et consuetudo maris, which is "the oldest surviving maritime law code of the Latin West".[3] There was also Jewish community in Trani, which was under the protection of the king until it was given to the ArchbishopSamarus during the reign ofHenry VI at the end of the 12th century. In that period many great families from the main Italian Maritime Republics (Amalfi,Pisa,Genova andVenice) established themselves in Trani. Trani, in turn, maintained aconsul inVenice from 12th century. The presence of other consulates in many northern Europe centres, even in England and Netherlands, shows Trani's trading and political importance in the Middle Ages. EmperorFrederick II built a massive castle in Trani. Under his rule, in the early 13th century, the city reached its highest point of wealth and prosperity.
There was some economic progress during the nineteenth century, and by 1881 the population had reached 25,647. Trani at this time was an important trading point for wines, fruits and grain.[4]
Benjamin of Tudela visited Trani in around 1159, following this visit he found 200 Jewish families living there.[5] By the 12th century, Trani already housed one of the largestJewish communities ofSouthern Italy, and was the birthplace of one of the greatest medieval rabbis of Italy:RabbiIsaiah ben Mali di Trani (c. 1180–1250), a prolific and prominent commentator andhalakhic authority. The greattalmudist RabbiMoses ben Joseph di Trani (1505–1585) was born inThessaloniki, three years after his family had fled there from Trani due toantisemitic persecution.
Trani entered a crisis under theAnjou andAragonese rule (14th–16th centuries), as its Jewish component was persecuted under Dominican pressure.[6] Under theHouse of Bourbon, however, Trani recovered a certain splendour, thanks to the generally improved condition of Southern Italy economy and the construction of several magnificent buildings. Trani was province capital until theNapoleonic age, whenJoachim Murat deprived it of this status in favour ofBari. In 1799, moreover, the French troops provoked a massacre of Trani's population, as it had adhered to theNeapolitan Republic.
TheScolanova Synagogue survives and, after many centuries as a church, has been rededicated as a synagogue.[7] The church ofSant'Anna is another medieval former synagogue.
The cathedralThe old fortPanoramic entrance to the harbour of Trani.
Trani has lost its oldcity walls andbastions, but the 13th-century fort has been extensively restored as a museum and performance venue and is open to the public. Some of the streets in and around the Ghetto area remain much as they were in themedieval period, and many of the houses display more or less ofNorman decoration.[9]
The main church isTrani Cathedral, dedicated to SaintNicholas the Pilgrim, aGreek who died in Trani in 1094 while on his way on pilgrimage to Rome, and some years later was canonized byUrban II. It lies on a raised open site near the sea, and was consecrated, before its completion, in 1143. It is a basilica with three apses, built in the characteristic white locallimestone. It has also a largecrypt and a lofty tower, the latter erected in 1230–1239 by the architect whose name appears on the ambo in the cathedral ofBitonto, Nicolaus Sacerdos. It has anarch under it, being supported partly on the side wall of the church, and partly on a massive pillar. The arches of theRomanesque portal are beautifully ornamented, in a manner suggestive ofArab influence; the bronze doors, executed by Barisanus of Trani in 1175, rank among the best of their period inSouthern Italy.[10] The capitals of the pillars in the crypt are fine examples of the Romanesque. The interior of the cathedral has been widely modernized,[9] but the crypt remains similar to the origins and was a renowned repository of relics, among which the body of the martyr St.Febronia of Nisibis. One can still enjoy a precious reliquary of the eighteenth century and an oval painting depicting the Saint at the Diocesan Museum.
Near theharbor is the GothicPalace of the Doges ofVenice, which is now used as aseminary. TheChurch of Ognissanti which at one stage was the chapel of a Knights Templar hospital has a Romanesque relief of theAnnunciation over the door.San Giacomo andSan Francesco also have Romanesquefaçades; the latter, together withSant'Andrea, haveByzantine domes.[9]
^Comparable doors by Barisanus are atRavello andMonreale. David A. Walsh, "The Iconography of the Bronze Doors of Barisanus of Trani"Gesta21.2 (1982:91-106).
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