The Basilica Cathedral was rebuilt according to the architectural and decoration pattern of the 17th and 18th century design attributed to C. Fansago, architect and sculptor, who certainly worked at the reasset of the Presbytery in 1627-1628 and who designed the High Altar in 1645. Much of the pre-existing marble has been reutilized for repaving the Cathedral and to inlay its walls.

However, all frescoes and pictorial decorations of the vaults and the canvas paintings on the walls of the Basilica have gone lost.

A huge painting by L. Giordano representing the consacration of the Basilica in 1071 (a sketch of whitch can be viewed in the Museum) formerly embellished the internal facing wall. It is now replaced by a 40 square meters fresco by P. Annigoni (1979): The Glory of St. Benedict or The Benedictine Paradise, featuring St. Benedict surrounded by monks, bishops, nuns who lived in holiness by following his Rule. These include three Popes on the foreground:

• at the left St. Gregory the Great, who was St. Benedict's first biographer;
• in the middle Pope Paul VI who reconsacrated the Basilica in 1964 and proclaimed St. Benedict the main Patron Saint of Europe;
• on the right St. Victor III, formerly Abbot Desiderius, author of Montecassino's splendour in the 12th century.

Two personages of the Old Testament, Abraham on the left and Moses on the right, are portrayed in the two fan-windows at both sides of the marigold window. St. Benedict, as Father of many Populations and as Legislator for the whole Monastic Order in the West has particular affinities with these two, Patriarchs.

You can find below the plan of the Basilica Cathedral: to visit its parts you can select them.

[ the Nave | the Right aisle | the Left aisle | Presbytery | Altar |
| Sacristy | Choir | Crypt ]

Images available in this page:

	Basilica Cathedral The Nave of the Basilica Cathedral as is seen from the entrance (475x432, 137K)
	The Glory of St. Benedict Fresco of the internal façade of the Basilica Cathedral, by P. Annigoni (1979) (549x391, 82K)

Now you can visit:

• the Benefactors'cloister;