Minori

Minori:"The Roman Villa"

Another pearl of the Amalfitan Coast, its origin date back to the Roman age, as can witness the "Villa" of the I° century A.D., just called roman, discovered in 1932.
Historically it had favourable periods. As ship-yard of Amalfitan republic it shared its splendour, joys and sorrows. For its position, it was continually attacked and sacked; It missed that quality since 1819, but kept the honour of a titular bishop.

In the past Minori was economically more important than the neighbouring town of Maiori, its populace being engaged in paper making, hide tanning, salted pork manufacture and the export of citrous fruits to America, Holland and Great Britain. All these activities certainly contributed to making Minori not only an economic but also a military force on a par with the powerful Amalfi. An important social and economic complex, it was made a Diocese by Pope John XV in 987, thus distinguishing itself from the neighbouring localities.

An interesting episode in Minori history was the segregation of Sergio, the second Bishop of Minori, carried out on the orders of Guaimario IV Prince of Salerno, who robbed him of all he had and then held him up to ransom.
Minori has often suffered from natural calamities: far example on 11 April 1597 it was struck by such a violent tempest that the main square and all the walls of the town were destroyed. Then there were plagues in 1492, 1528 and 1656 which so reduced the population that at a certain moment there were only three priests left in the town: the Prior of San Nicola a Forcella, Bishop Leria and a canon. Minori has many artistically valuable historic buildings of different ages: among them the tower called "Torre Paradiso", now an empty shell, and the mid-eleventh century lion fountain in the centre of the public gardens near the beach.

The "Duomo" has an interesting history. In 1818 it was down-graded from the rank of cathedral, and reconstructed with three aisles separated by pillars. The early seventeenth century marble pulpit is exceptionally beautiful, and the crypt and three-aisle basilica undemeath, restored in the eight century, contain the remains of Santa Trofimena, the saint to whom the church was dedicated.

The Roman villa was built in the time of Augustus, and occupied an area of 2,500 square metres. It was a patrician dwelling on two floors, the upper of which with wooden ceiings. There was a portico round three sides of the villa and a nymphaeum on the other, used as a reception room by the Romans. lt is decorated with frescoes, stuccos and mosaics from the second half of the first century. The villa and bath were only discovered in 1932, and the full magnificence of the work was not appreciated until 1954.