Editing Alatri (section)

==Main sights==

===Ancient remains===
Alatri has well-preserved [[Polygonal masonry|polygonal]] fortifications constructed from well jointed local [[limestone]]. It is almost entirely an embanking wall, as is the rule in the cities of this part of Italy, with a maximum height, probably, of about {{convert|9|m|ft|0}}. Two of the gates (of the perhaps five once existing) are still to some extent preserved, and three [[postern]]s are to be found.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Aletrium|volume=1|page=543|first=Thomas|last=Ashby|authorlink=Thomas Ashby (archaeologist)}}</ref>

In the centre of the city rises a hill which was adopted as the citadel. Remains of the fortifications of three successive periods can be traced, of which the last, perhaps a little more recent than that of the city wall, is the best preserved. In the first two periods the construction is rough, while in the third the blocks are very well jointed, and the faces smoothed; they are mostly polygonal in form and are much larger (the maximum about 3 by 2 m) than those of the city wall. A flat surface was formed partly by smoothing off the rock and partly by the erection of huge terrace walls which rise to a height of over {{convert|15|m|ft|0}}, enclosing a roughly rectangular area of {{convert|220|by|100|m|ft}}. Two approaches to the citadel were constructed, both passing through the wall; the openings of both are rectangular. The [[architrave]] of the larger, known as ''Porta Maggiore'', measures about {{convert|5|m|ft}} in length, {{convert|1.5|m|ft}} in height, {{convert|1.8|m|ft}} in thickness; while that of the smaller is decorated with three ''[[phallus|phalli]]'' in relief. Later, though probably in ancient times, a ramp was added on the northern side. In the centre of the ''arx'' was a building on the site of the present cathedral, of which only a small portion is preserved. Remains of a high-pressure [[aqueduct (watercourse)|aqueduct]], which supplied the town with water and was constructed with other public buildings by [[L. Betilienus Varus]], may still be traced. A temple was excavated in 1889 about a half-mile north of the town, and many fragments of the painted [[terracottas]] with which it was decorated were found. A reconstruction of it has been erected in the [[National Etruscan Museum]] at Rome.<ref name="EB1911"/>
[[File:Santa Maria Maggiore Alatri.jpg|thumb|250px|Church of ''Santa Maria Maggiore'' and ''Fontana Pia''.]]
[[File:Chiesa di San Silvestro.jpg|thumb|250px|The ancient church of St. Sylvester.]]
[[File:Palazzo Gottifredo alatri.jpg|thumb|250px|''Palazzo Gottifredo''.]]

===Other===
*[[Alatri Cathedral|Cathedral of San Paolo]]: main church, documented since 930, has  [[Cosmatesque]] decorations dated to 1222, although the external facade is from a late–18th-century restoration. The layout is that of a Greek cross plan, with a long [[transept]]. One of the relics in the church, is the late 13th-century ''Ostia Incarnata''; according to tradition it was a [[Eucharist|eucharistic wafer]] that miraculously [[Transubstantiation|transubstantiated]] into flesh.
*''[[Collegiata of Santa Maria Maggiore]]'': [[collegiate church]] likely first erected in the 5th century atop the site of a temple of [[Venus (mythology)|Venus]]. First mentioned in 1137, it was restored in [[Romanesque art|Romanesque]] times and largely rebuilt in the 13th century by craftsmen from [[Burgundy (region)|Burgundy]]. The façade has a large 14th-century [[rose window]]. The three gates have frescoed [[lunette]]s with, in the central one, a ''Madonna with Child'' from the late 14th century. The bell tower was added in 1394; until an earthquake in 1654, it had a cusp cover. The sober interior has a nave and two aisles divided by robust pilasters, with an inner [[narthex]]. The left chapels are from modern restorations. Among the artwork housed in the church, a ''Constantinopolis Madonna'' (13th century), the ''Redeemer Tryptych'' by Antonio di Alatri, and a ''Madonna with Child and St. Salvatore'' (early 15th century).
*''[[San Francesco, Alatri|San Francesco]]'': [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]]-style church built by the [[Franciscan]]s in the late 13th century. It is a compact edifice  with original gate and rose window similar to that of Santa Maria Maggiore. The interior has a single nave and Baroque decoration. It houses a ''Deposition'' painted by Neapolitan school (17th century), and partly ruined 15th-century frescoes. The most striking feature is however the relic of part of [[Francis of Assisi|St. Francis]]' mantle, donated in 1222 to the city by the saint himself.
*''Santo Stefano'': Church from ({{circa|1000}}). Of the original edifice, only the main portal remains.
*''[[San Silvestro, Alatri|San Silvestro]]'': Church from (10th-11th centuries). It has two naves, the second added in 1331. The simple and evocative interior houses a precious fresco depicting ''St Sylvester and the Dragon'' (12th century). The crypt (9th century) has a fresco of a ''Blessing Saint'' in Byzantine style.
*''[[Scolopi, Alatri|Chiesa degli Scolopi]]'' (1734–1745)
*[[Gottifredo Palace]] (mid-13th century), the residence of the powerful feudatory cardinal [[Gottifredo di Raynaldo]] from Alatri. It is formed by two towerhouses in different styles. It houses the Town Museum.
*Public Records Office: located in the Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore, the registry houses all public records including Births, Deaths and Marriages for the city going back to the 18th century.

In the neighborhood are:
*The Castle of Osteria di Alatri, also known as ''La Grancia di Tecchiena''.
*The   ''Badia di San Sebastiano'', built in the 6th century by [[Liberius (praetorian prefect)|Liberius]].
*''Chiesa delle XII Marie'' ("Church of the 12 Marys"), a small church from the early 15th century, with interesting frescoes of Saint by Antonio da Alatri