Like lace embroidered on a fine linen fabric, the portal of the ancient Romanesque cathedral, made by Anseramo da Trani around the second half of the 13th century and spared the destruction of the Romanesque cathedral in 1782, stands out. It was placed on the north facade of the Rosary Church only in 1863. It is built of local stone, monolithic in the lunette and lintel supported by figured corbels. Scenes from the life of Christ are depicted in the lintel: an angel in flight announces to the Virgin the birth of her son; the Magi (one standing, the others on horseback) set out toward Bethlehem to greet the Child in the grotto, later depicted on a cross with Mary and John at his feet. Of Byzantine derivation are the double frame and the representation by isolated, frontal images. The hand of the master stonemason can be recognized by small holes along the frame of the portal that reaches to the highest part where the master says, “TRANUM QUEM GENUIT DOCTOR SCOLPENDO PERITUS ANSERMAUS OPUS PRECLARE FELICTER IMPLET”(Anseramo a native of Trani, an expert master of the sculptural art happily produced this distinguished work).
