In the heart of Campobasso stands the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, the city’s main place of Catholic worship and mother church of the metropolitan archdiocese of the same name.
Its origin dates back to 1504 when, at the behest of feudal lord Andrea de Capoa, a church dedicated to the Holy Trinity was built outside the feudal walls. Inside it found its seat the Confraternity of the Trinitarians, known in the 16th century for its heated rivalry with that of the Crusaders, and then suppressed in 1809.
The 1805 earthquake completely destroyed the ancient building, which was rebuilt to a design by architect Bernardino Musenga. The new church was reopened for worship in 1829, becoming a parish and the seat of the collegiate chapter. However, in 1860, it was requisitioned for military use and turned into barracks. It was not until 1900 that it was returned to the faithful, and in 1927 it assumed the title of cathedral as the bishop’s seat moved from Bojano to Campobasso.
Between 1927 and 1933 major expansion works were carried out, directed by architect Tullio Passarelli and engineer Vittorio Tiberio. During this period the nave and apse were raised, the latter embellished with a fresco depicting Pentecost, the work of Romeo Musa.
The cathedral’s sober and elegant facade follows the canons of neoclassicism, with a hexastyle pronaos and an imposing triangular pediment. The interior is divided into three wide naves: the side naves house two large chapels frescoed by the painter Amedeo Trivisonno, while in the nave there is a fine canopy supported by Corinthian capitals.
Highlights include the granite baptismal font, dating from 1745, located in the left aisle. Behind the high altar are the wooden choir, made of walnut, and a pipe organ built by Ponziano Bevilacqua in 1993, with 41 registers on three manuals and pedal.
The polychrome stained glass windows that adorn the cathedral depict the holy defenders of the dogma of the Trinity: St. Augustine, St. Hilary, St. Anastasius, and St. Nicholas, giving the environment an atmosphere of intense spirituality.
The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, with its troubled history and artistic richness, is today one of the most representative symbols of the city of Campobasso.