Gli affreschi della cripta di Sant'Adamo nella chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore a Guglionesi

This study concerns the frescoes in the Crypt of Sant’Adamo (XII century) preserved in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Guglionesi (Molise, Italy). In the 16th century, most probably in 1587, the vaults of the crypt were frescoed with various episodes of the Genesis. Unfortunately, the ones in the left aisle are not well preserved; however, scenes related to the life of Noah are visible. A fragmentary fresco can be perceived to the right, which recalls Moses that separates the waters preserved in the Sistine Chapel. From the epigraphic documentation, the client should have been Cesare Ferranzio, bishop of Termoli from 1569 to 1593. About the artist’s name, we tried to find his documentation in reply to the pictorial cycles at that time in Molise and even beyond this region. From this study we can conclude that the artist of the crypt was trained in Rome, he had contact with Donato da Copertino, painter of nearby Castle of Gambatesa, and also with Gianserio Strafella, an Apulian painter.