La decorazione scultorea nei chiostri dell’Italia meridionale come veicolo di riflessione. Il caso del chiostro di Santa Sofia a Benevento

The cloister of Santa Sofia in Benevento, of Lombard foundation, saves a group of capitals carved with various subjects. The main theme of the decoration is directed to the contemplation for the monastic community: scenes from the Old and New Testament stories, scenes from the monastic environment, scenes from the profane world. The decoration of the cloister is therefore a didactic path for the monks. The narrative that is seen in the capitals of the cloister of Santa Sofia in Benevento is one of the most important in South Italy, especially for the presence of the cycle of the months that finds the strongest iconographic comparisons with North Italy. But the realization of the sculptures is linked to a workshop of local artists in the late twelfth century, influenced by apulian and from the Abruzzo figurative culture.