Provenance of repurposed building stones in the historical town of Rende (Cosenza, Italy)

Archeological proofs of the paleochristian age in modern Calabria are very few. Painting, goldworking and bronze artifacts are very few. This dearth of artifacts is related to the high historical seismicity of the southern Italy and to a depletion controlled by conflicts that led to worse life conditions. The first evidence of paleochristian art in Calabria is represented by damaged items such as silver and bronze rings belonging to the Marquis Gallo of Castrovillari (Lipinsky, 1966), currently missing. In the historical churches of Rende town (Cosenza) some stony sherds are attributable to the early Christian age. Specifically, these are represented by an arcade made up of calcarenite, a gravestone of early middle age, and some marbled tombstones belonging to the local aristocracy. This research is an attempt to reconstruct the provenance and use of these architectural stones.