Bitetto - San Michele Arcangelo

After the fall of the Roman Empire and the defeat of the Goths and Lombards, Apulia was reconquered by the Byzantine Empire. A Byzantine monastery was founded to control the population, which suffered from a heavy tax burden.

After the expulsion of the Byzantines from Bari by Norman Roberto il Guiscardo in 1071 things changed. Bitetto was elevated to a bishopric and the archbishop received nearby Bitritto as a fief. The town was destroyed twice in 1164 by William the Wicked (Guglielmo il Malo) during the rebellion against his father Roger II.

The church served as the cathedral of the diocese of Bitetto , which existed until 1818.

The cathedral was built between 1026 and 1089, but the current appearance is due to a reconstruction in 1335, carried out by Master Lillo da Barletta. Further changes were made in the 16th century. These alterations required a new consecration so that in 1613 the cathedral, already consecrated in honor of Maria Assunta, was dedicated to the Archangel Michael.

The early Gothic tympanum shows the coronation of Mary and below it, Christ flanked by the twelve apostles. The date "1335" is inscribed on the left and the name of the master "Lillo da Barletta" is on the right side of the lintel.