MATERA  , a

city of Basilicata, Italy, in the province of Potenza, from which it is 68 m . E. by road (13 M . S. of the station of Altamura), 1312 ft. above sea-level . Pop . (1901), 17,801 . Part of it is built on a level plateau and part in deep valleys adjoining, the tops of the campaniles of the lower portions being on a level with the streets of the upper . The principal building is the cathedral of the archbishopric of Acerenza and Matera, formed in 1203 by the union of the two bishoprics, dating respectively from 300 and 398 . The western facade of the cathedral is plain, while the utmost richness of decoration is lavished on the south front which faces the piazza . Almost in the centre of this south facade is an exquisitely sculptured window, from which letters from the Greek patriarch at Constantinople used to be read . The campanile is 175 ft. high . In the vicinity are the troglodyte caverns of Monte Scaglioso, still inhabited by some of the lower classes, and other caves with 13th-century frescoes . Neolithic pottery has been found here, but the origin of the town is uncertain .

Under the

Normans Matera was a countship for William Bras de Fer and his successors . It was the chief town of the Basilicata from 1664 till 1811, when the French transferred the administration to Potenza .