The entrance

It is believed that the portal may once have belonged to the church of Saint Eustachio in Pontone, dating from the second half of the 12th century. An official record taken in 1570 noted that it was moved by the D’Afflitto family who owned the church: this was common practice at that time.

The lower half of the portal incorporates the crossbeams of the original, complete with a pair of lions reminiscent of those at the cathedral in Salerno (although here the lion is on the left and the lioness and cub on the right). The lions symbolically guard access to a holy place, and above them are decorative sprays of leaves, animals and birds pecking at bunches of grapes.

The upper part of the portal is composed of the dismantled arch of a pulpit, broken in the middle and reused as brackets. The way in which the two prophets have been configured associates them with the Caserta School, which was active between 1200 and 1220. Two putto heads and other marble decoration were added, further to embellish this magnificent portal.