Otranto: enigmatic history of the Tree of Life

Almost on the point of the Salento peninsula, in Apulia, Otranto is a bridge city linking east with west. It was so in the past, at the time of the Turkish invasions, and it remains so today, welcoming the vast majority of people who come from the Balkan coast across the sea to Italy. Not by chance the privileged position of this city has earned it the nickname of the door of the east.

Despite repeated invasions, Otranto has shown a fierce independence over time. The strong pride of its citizens renders even more mysterious some of the artworks jealously guarded within the town. Crossing the doorstop of Otranto Cathedral is like taking a trip back in time, to the bloody era of Christian and Muslim crusades, of which this sacred church was a sad witness.

Practically the entire town was razed to the ground in 1480, but the floor of the cathedral, a mosaic of thousands of colours built into chalky rock, remained intact and with it, its secret. As you walk along the aisles of the cathedral you become aware that you're treading on the grand trunk of a tree, a giant tree of life.

The mosaic of Otranto's cathedral is the biggest in Europe and was designed in 1163 by an Italian monk named Pantaleone. Evidently the monk in question had a large pinch of fantasy, or perhaps was animated by a strong spirit of reconciliation, at least this is what it seems by the figures in the mosaic. Cain and Abel, King Arthur, Alexander the Great, mythological animals and even Puss-in-boots. This mosaic is a triumph of history that encompasses all the epochs and multiple religious beliefs, with hidden references to Christianity, Judaism and eastern religions.

The cathedral of Otranto reveals the legacy of a controversial past. On the floor, the enigmatic Tree of Life seems to signal a step towards reconciliation between east and west.