The current facade of the church is the result of numerous successive remodeling until the 20th century. The interior, by contrast, is an explosion of Baroque art with beautiful altars with finely carved and twisted columns and paintings, as the seventeenth-century Vision of St. Francis by Frate Angelo da Copertino, adorning the great nave. The nave, along with the choir, are the result of a series of interventions that occurred at different times. The choir, in fact, destroyed in December 1931 by a fire, was restored only in 2004 with an opera of a Bolivian craftsman Giuseppe Valente of Miggiano. The church contains valuable Baroque altars made of Leccese stone dedicated to St. Nicholas (1653), the Crucifix (1683), the Immaculate Conception (1781) and San Vito (1807). The Leccese-stone ...

Located just outside the town of Presicce, on the road linking the town of Taurisano to the locality of Pozzomauro, is the crypt of San Mauro right around the chapel of S. Maria del Rito, a small rural church of Basilian origin. Only few ruins remain from both of the crypt and the church that, however, are worth visiting for the frescoes that decorate them, dating between the 13th and 14th centuries. The crypt is divided into two naves; however, to date it is only possible to see fragments of paintings, probably of saints including St. Catherine of Alexandria and a scene of the Annunciation in the right nave. Originally, the crypt interacted with an underground oil mill, of which some mangers, a tank and the area devoted to grinding are still present. Near the crypt is the church of ...

The Laura of Presicce is poorly preserved but like the others in southern Salento, it had to be composed of cells found in small crumblier rock-cut caves which was accessible from above through a cavity. Inside there was the "giacitoio", where the monks rested, and the crypt with frescoed wall designated for the celebration of the mass. ...

The church dates back to the early 17th century but retains decorative traces of a medieval chapel of the ancient settlement of Pozzomauro. The façade of the church is very simple. The interior has a Latin cross plan consisting of several altars of the 17th and 18th century A.D. In the transept are the oldest paintings of late Middle Ages like the Madonna with Child. The church and the adjacent monastery were rebuilt by the Frati Riformati on the place where a miraculous episode occurred in 1596. The road leading to the monastery is characterized by the presence of a Via Crucis in stone placed at the sides of the same street. ...

The Sanctuary of San Rocco presents itself as a simple and linear structure characterized externally by a central door, framed between two empty niches, and two side doors. At the very top of the edifice is a cross. The interior is characterized by the main altar adorned with a large painting by Giovanni Grassi, dated 1851, depicting the Miracle Worker of plague victims, on which a Latin inscription reads: “D.O.M. DIVO ROCCO SACELLUM HOC ANTIQUA IVIUM PIETAS RECENS FIDELI M. DEVOTIO ... TESTIS FAEC. E. M. DIGIORUM OCCASIONE MOTA EREXIT UNA AMPLIA VIT ALTERA A.D. MDCCXXXVIII.” Located on either side of the altar are statues of St. Oronzo, on the left, and St. Sebastian, on the right. We know, in fact, that the worship of St. Rocco is attested  in Torrepaduli since 1531, in a ...

The chapel has a simple rectangular aspect, with a portal and central windows, surmounted by a belfry. Inside, what makes it valuable and perhaps unique church of Morciano is the presence of a huge monolith, an authentic menhir of local marble, painted on whose front plate is a sixteenth-century Madonna and Child. The monolith has come to light in the recent years of the twentieth century as a result of a conservative intervention carried out by the Pro Loco "Torre Vado". Below the fresco are visible traces of color dating back to the classical period of Byzantine art in Salento (900-1000 AD). Depicted in the hand of the Child are three arrows (a clear reference to the SS. Trinity) symbolizing the divine love for humanity on earth.   ...

The crypt, entirely carved into the tuff rocks, is the result of modifications and additions in the place and in the architecture, as demonstrated by the two circular columns with Doric capital of the sixteenth century, the addition of an altar on the east wall, topped by a seventeenth-century fresco depicting the Crucifixion (hence the name of the crypt), a skylight created later and the occlusion of the original entrance on the west. It is accessible through the northern door, which is followed by a barrel-vaulted staircase that leads to the underground room. The entrance is decorated with a frescoed lunette with the Holy Family scene. Inside, the walls and ceiling are covered with frescoes dating between the thirteenth and the seventeenth century, accompanied by inscriptions in Greek ...

The interior of the church, of modest dimension (7 x 7 m), has a plan of a single chamber and two apses, a quite unique example in Salento. Inside, on the front wall and the apses, are gravely damaged layers of frescoes and graffiti from the Byzantine period (XI-XII sec.). In the left apse, among the oldest frescoes and Byzantine style, is a depiction of St. John the Baptist, the forerunner of the coming of the Messiah, recognizable by the inscription in Greek inserted in a cartouche "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness".  In the right, overlaid on the oldest images, are more recent  frescoes, probably dating between the sixteenth and seventeenth century: in the middle is a Christ Pantocrator, a Franciscan saint on the right and a holy bishop on the ...

Known as the Madonna della Serra, the church dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, was elevated into a Sanctuary in 1951. The edifice dates back to the sixteenth century, a period of frequent Saracens attacks on the Salentine coasts. For this reason, the church presents externally as a watchtower and is characterized by the typical elements of the fortified structures; at the doors and windows are machicolations positioned for defensive purposes. The interior consists of a ceramic majolica pavement and an altar in Leccese stone surmounted by the painting of the Madonna and Child. On the side is the statue of the Madonna della Serra, periodically carried in procession, and a sixteenth-century fresco depicting the Madonna del Latte. The image, rebuilt in the eighteenth century, depicts ...

According to tradition, St. Peter, traveling to Rome, stopped at Leuca and founded the first Christian church dedicated to the Saviour on the site of a pagan temple dedicated to Minerva. The church became one of the major pilgrimage centers of ancient times and the middle Ages.   However, the dedication to Santa Maria di Leuca goes back to the fourth century, when Mary saved the fishermen during a storm. The church have been under many reconstructions over the centuries, especially because of repeated attacks by the Turks or Saracens. As a result of the last renovation, carried out between 1720 and 1755 by Monsignor Giovanni Giannelli, the structure is disguised as a fortress to hide it from eventual destructions.   Going beyond the three actual entrance portals, ...

Dating back to 9th century AD, the crypt, located under the chapel of the same name dating back to the 14th century, is situated in the former granary of dei Carmelitani. It consists of a quadrangular room with fresco of Santa Marina of 1400 in the niche opposite the entrance. On all the walls are notable traces of color of ancient frescoes, now permanently lost. On the left of the entrance insist two small rooms, one of which is completely painted with images typical of Byzantine iconography: Saint Catherine of Alexandria, St. Nicholas represented according to oriental iconographic standards, an anonymous saint who is holding a cachet, and lastly Archangel Gabriel. The crypt is of considerable importance due to the presence of the “Dormitio Virginis” of the twelfth century: the ...

The Santuario di Santa Marina, located in the hamlet of Ruggiano, is part of a medieval sanctuary remodeled several times over the centuries. The facade looks simple and linear, based on a unique order of Ionic pilasters that mark the aspect in two symmetrical and vertical registers, and ends up with horizontal beams and a large triangular pediment with frame moldings of a bull, a throat and teeth. In addition to this sober setting is the rococo sculptural ornamentation of the portals, the windows and the vertex of the tympanum. The interior has two naves and reflects the particular structure of the facade.   The church keeps notable works including a wooden statue and a fresco depicting the image of the owner represented as a young virgin who dominates a monstrous dragon ...

The church, dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra, is located on the outskirts of the village, where a farm was once open. The church probably dates back to the eleventh century and is one of the medieval remains of the territory. The structure has a single nave with south / east - north / west indications to the point where the sun rises on the day of the feast of St. Nicholas (6 December).   The church was restored in 1587 transforming it into its current appearance, throughout the transition from the Greek-Byzantine rite, which was previously practiced, into the Latin rite. Inside, however, a stone remained that refers to its ancient origins. The roof in double truss was replaced by the current vault in tuff. The date and the coat of arms of Specchia are engraved on the key. It has a ...

Protected by the thick vegetation, along the canal of Fano on the eastern ridge, the crypt is almost invisible at a quick glance. Having small dimensions (2.70 × 3.20 m), probably intended for a small group of Byzantine monks, the place of worship entirely dug in the bedrock consists of two environments: a cell, where the participants could occupy the two seats formed along the side walls during the religious celebrations, and a separated apse from the cell by a partition stone that reaches the ceiling flanked by two windows. At the center of the first cell, a small pit perhaps contained the remains of one of these monks. Little remained of the painted decoration from which a depiction of Saint Pantaleone is recognizable.   ...

The current structure is the result of an extension of the original structure, which took place in the 50s of the last century. It retains much of the original structure, dedicated to St. Mary and dating back to the mid-sixteenth century. A.D., as much as the transept. The facade is in a hut-form, with a single entrance portal, a small rose window and a cross jutting in the axis. Inside, it is possible to admire interesting paintings from the era including the Annunciation and the Last Judgment and a fresco painted in 1586 for devotion to Alterius Stasi. ...

Consisting of a single barrel-vaulted room, the church presents entirely frescoed walls, including the vault on which center a coat of arms is painted  and is in fair condition. On the wall, surmounting the altar is a depiction of the Madonna of Constantinople, while in a lunette above the entrance, is an unusual fresco of Jesus carrying the cross in an outdated country landscape. On the walls are full length paintings of several saints including St. Nicholas, St. Rocco, St. Anthony Abate and St. Anthony of Padua. ...

The Saint Sophia Church of Corsano was completely rebuilt in 1939 by the architect Benito Leante di Galatone, on the site of a sixteenth century church which was destroyed because of some static failures of the foundations.   The exterior facade is very simple, reminiscent of the Romanesque style, has a large rose window and lombard bands that decorate the top part.   The interior is also very simple, divided into three naves, each ending with an altar, the major, central, is dedicated to Saint Sophia, the sides are dedicated to San Biagio and to Our Lady of the Rosary. From the antique structure, some paintings and eighteenth-century wooden pulpit were preserved.  ...

It features a simple façade set on three orders. The lower order is characterized by a Baroque portal on which the date "1758" can be seen; the second order has a central window in lira; while the mixed-line tympanum, with a statue of St Ippazio in the center of a niche, was built later as the date of 1791 indicates.   The interior, with a Latin cross, has two deep chapels on each side. In addition to valuable paintings, inside is a sixteenth-century pulpit with arabesque motifs and a pipe organ arranged on wooden choir with paintings of stalls. On a pillar is a fresco from the first half of the sixteenth century, relevant to the previous structure, depicting Saint Eligio. ...

The little church has a simple gabled façade with an entrance surmounted by a tympanum and a small central rose window. Adjacent to it is a square bell tower. The interior has a single nave and ends with a semicircular apse in which a niche, illustrating the Virgin appearing in front of the three village children of Fatima, is inserted.   Surrounding the church is an extensive pine grove. ...

Taking Via Tempio from the small square in front of the Tricase cathedral, a small structure can be found, which in present time is privately owned, and is easily identified as a small church for the shape of its facade.   The facade is very simple with a portal surmounted by a rose window.   Inside, the structure has a rectangular plan and ends with a pseudo-apse on which a door opens that connects to the house behind it, which probably have been the accommodation of the monks. A picture of Mary used to be above the door, which left no trace of its remains.   During the restoration, an ossuary in a tufaceous bank was discovered from under the floor. ...

The mother church of Tricase is dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The present structure is the result of a series of renovations that were carried out over the centuries.   The main façade has a portal decorated by columns with composite capitals, topped by a niche which houses the statue of the praying Mary.   The interior, in a simple Latin cross with a single nave and a transept, is furnished with furniture and accessories of the previous structures such as the Renaissance baptismal fountain, visible on the left upon entering the church. In the left transept, a monumental altar hosts the sixteenth century painting of the Virgin with Child and Saints Matteo and Francesco da Paola, attributed to Paolo Caliari the Veronese; while the ...

The Baroque facade of San Domenico church, completed in the seventeenth century, has a portal surmounted by a statue of St. Dominic de Guzman, and the busts of St. Peter and St. Paul. The top of the pediment is decorated with statues of saints valued in the Dominican Order.   The interior, with a single nave, is illuminated by 13 window lyre, and has seven chapels alternated with polychrome statues of Dominican saints. The transept is replaced by two large chapels that proceed to the main altar. Baroque altars and precious paintings decorate the church: artists like Saverio Lillo, Giovan Domenico Catalano, Giuseppe Zimbalo, and Gioacchino Toma worked on them.   Down the nave, the wooden choir is located, made in 1703 by Oronzo Pirti. The suspended wooden sky with ...

The little church, located in the countryside northwest of Tricase, in the territory of Tutino, presents a somber façade with a simple portal that bears the inscription "Virgini Pietatis Dicatum". The interior has a unique nave and ends with the main altar topped by a modern mosaic depicting the Pietà (a replacement of an old painting, stolen in the 70s). ...

The small chapel of St. Elias is a non-urban structure, north of Depressa, along the road to Castiglione. The church was built in the seventeenth century, in an area characterized by the presence of ancient necropolis. The facade is very simple and leads into a rectangular room with a small altar on which there used to be a picture of the Transfiguration. ...

The abbey is an ancient monastery complex of the IX century, later incorporated within a fortified farm complex. Only ruins and parts of walls remained of the original structure. The highly preserved part is the dovecote tower, located at a short distance from the abbey and still in the countryside. ...

The Church of Santa Maria di Costantinopoli, known locally as the Chiesa dei Diavoli, is a extra-urban octagonal structure, built in the seventeenth century by the Marquis Gattinara. The upper part of the church is defined by a double cornice which makes the extrados of the vault instantly visible. A bell tower is set on the attic of the brickwork on the southeastern part.   The interior is marked by angular pilasters with Corinthian capitals and round arches; the ceiling consists of a pavilion vault with lunettes set on the octagonal support. The remains of the original altar are on the walls. The Virgin of Constantinople, adored by angels, saints and by the same developer was depicted on the main altar. ...

Positioned stunningly on the Promontorio del Calino, overlooking the sea of ​​Marina Serra, is the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Assumption, surrounded by a large garden with thick vegetation.   The structure looks very simple and is characterized by the typical elements of the fortified structures: at the doors and windows are machicolations positioned for defensive purposes; on the facade is a marble plaque which says that the church was elevated into a Shrine in 1950 (saint year) for the proclamation of the dogma of the Assumption.   The interior has a single nave covered by a star vault. Placed on the main altar is the painting of the Lady of the Assumption by the Neapolitan painter, Paolo Fenoglio. Entering on the left side, there is a canvas depicting the Holy ...

The church, next to the monastery, consists of a single nave composed of three surroundings (a room, a choir, and a presbytery) and eight altars. The walls are characterized by Doric pilasters and plasters and in the thickness of the walls were the recovered altars. It presents a barrel vault with lunettes, plastered and painted. The façade, flanked by two pilasters and crowned with a broken pediment, is highlighted by three niches with statues and an entrance portal aligned with a window tracery.   Behind the convent is a cloister, which served as a shelter for pilgrims who spent the night. The function of the Monastery of St. Francis of Paola, located along Via dei Pellegrini which was probably to mirror the actions of Leuca Piccola di Barbarano, was to offer ...

The crypt-cave is situated in the immediate vicinity of the Church of Madonna delle Rasce, about 2 km north of the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Leuca.   It is a typical Basilian cave comprising a circular compartment about 2 meters high and a diameter of about 3 meters. It is accessible by a very narrow passage in the rock, through which leads to a corridor that directs to another small circular room, probably used as a dormitory. The use of the area for residential purposes seems evidenced also by the presence of channels for collecting rain water, the remains of small underground tanks, and etc. ...

The church was built in honor of Our Lady of Grace in 1679, along Via dei Pellegrini, in an area where there was once a small village which arose as a result of the destruction of the city of Vereto.   The edifice, with a single hall and covered with a star vault with lunettes and allegorical masks, presents a very poor condition; only a rudimentary altar in tuff, topped by a Marian image, is preserved.   In the surrounding area, the church attests to the presence of numerous caves and medieval tombs, which retain no trace of the dead for it has already been opened and robbed in the past.   ...

The Church of San Giuseppe, located halfway between Salignano and Santa Maria di Leuca, is established along one of the main transport routes of the Pilgrims, who at this point could see from afar - for the first time - the final destination of their journey: the Sanctuary of Leuca. Many of them could find refreshments and accommodations in some purposely set up areas in the immediate vicinity of the building of worship.   The church was built between 1617 and 1630. The construction took so long for the fact that after a few years of the initial works, they were interrupted by the arrival of the Algerians in the Capo di Leuca and was resumed only later.   Today the church is surrounded by a large pine grove and is open on the feast of St. Joseph.   ...

The church, dedicated to Madonna Assunta, has a rectangular plan with a single hall, a simple facade and a small bell tower. The interior was decorated with frescoes, today highly deteriorated, including an interesting fresco depicting St. Paul with the sword on which a snake is wrapped around while at the foot of the saint is a scorpion surmounted by two intertwined snakes in the form of caduceus. This particular iconography of the Saint associates it with the typical phenomenon of Salento tarantism: referring to an episode in which, according to tradition, St. Paul, while in Malta, was bitten by a snake, but the poison did not cause him any damage, for this he obtained the title of protector against bites of poisonous animals and, consequently, the patron saint of tarantate.   ...

The Centopietre is a peculiar construction, situated in front of the church of San Giovanni Battista, on the outskirts of Patù, in the Campo Re. It has a rectangular shape (7.20 x 5.5 x 2.6 m) and consists of 100 large squared tuff blocks and 26 slabs of tuff disposed to cover a double sloping. The structure has two entrances, one on the east side and one on the south side. Inside, there are frescoes in poor condition dating back to the thirteenth-fourteenth century, a period in which the monument was used as a place of worship by Eastern monks. Among these is a Crucifixion placed on the north wall, and later framed in a picturesque layer together with san Giorgio on the same side but in the west nave. Along the western wall is a succession of saints under arches held up by ...

The rural church of the Crocifisso was built in 1651, located along the street of Via dei Pellegrini. It presents a simple gabled facade framed between two powerful pilasters. In the lateral part stands a small bell tower. The interior is characterized by a single nave divided into two bays with a star vault.   It presents modest decorations in which emerges, however, the splendid altar of 1670 decorated with polychrome plaster, by a sculptor of Alessano origin Placido Buffelli, containing a painting of Christ's face. The church houses an ancient crucifix and a statue of the dead Christ. ...

Located on top of the Serra dei Cianci, in a striking and panoramic position, is the Monastero della Santissima Trinità - Clarisse. Recognized by the Diocese as a place of hospitality and spiritual support, for its geographical position, the monastery is situated on the east of Italy, place for prayer meetings and cultural studies with Orthodox churches.   The monastery is open to people who want to experience silence, solitude and contemplation. For this purpose, facilities such as a large open area behind the church, a guesthouse with eight beds are made available, with the possibility of self-prepared packed lunches or use the kitchen, and a large hall for conferences. ...

The small church was rebuilt in the sixteenth century on the Serra dei Cianci, along Via dei Pellegrini.   The church is mentioned for the first time in a document from 1218, when it was part of the property belonging to the abbey of St. Nicola of Casole.   It has a simple rectangular plan and a single nave. The numerous interventions endured by the church over the centuries have totally altered its original appearance. Today, the church is in a very bad state of conservation and maintenance.   ...

The small church, dedicated to Our Lady of Constantinople, was built in 1628. The façade is simple, with pitched roof and a unique entrance portal surmounted by a niche.   The corners are emphasized by an ashlars pattern. On its peak is an elegant motif of blind arches. Inside, it has several Byzantine-inspired frescoes and a painting of 1700 depicting the image of the Virgin and Child, oil on large canvas, made by an unknown artist in the first half of eighteenth century. On the sides are Sant’Oronzo, Sant’Antonio Abate, San Leonardo and Santi Medici   Leaning against the chapel is a partially ruined building, probably served as accommodation and refuge for pilgrims.   ...

The Cripta dell'Eternità o della Trinità is located on the northwest of Serra conjoining Casarano in Ruffano. The crypt occupies the space of the Trinity or Eternity cave, privately owned and more than 30 m deep. The crypt has an irregularly triangular plan, with high vault and a wide arc opening facing west. ...

The Mother Church, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, presents a plain façade divided into three parts by tall pilasters. The central part is enriched by an elegant Baroque doorway surmounted by a stone statue of the Virgin. Above the portal are an inscription and a window lyre, which is next to a clock. The aspect ends with a curved pediment, at the sides of which stand two belfries. The interior, with three naves, houses some of the altars with paintings such as the Immaculate, an opera recently attributed to the painter Aniello Letizia. The seventeenth-century wooden statue of the Venetian Saint Donato, patron saint of the town, is of particular interest. ...

The Calvary of Montesano Salentino is a wide and deep apsidal shrine protected by an enclosure topped with six spire pinnacles. The structure is marked laterally by pairs of pilasters that house the paintings of two thieves; at its peak are towering spire pinnacles flanked by two pairs of terracotta chalices. The apsidal area is occupied by five paintings by the artist Giuseppe Bottazzi (1821 - 1890) of Diso illustrating, as in other calvaries made by him, the images of the Passion of Jesus Christ. At the center stands the Crucifixion with the Virgin, St. John and Mary Magdalene, while the sides of this representation are the Prayer in the Garden, the Flagellation, the Departure to Calvary and the Crowning of Thorns. At the base of the five representations is the scene of the Pieta with ...

The Chapel of Our Lady of Itri presents a simple neoclassical facade consisting of a portal with tympanum and central two-mullioned window. The interior has a single room with an altar in Leccese stone, behind which a small door allows access to the Byzantine church, with a rectangular plan, dedicated to St. Nicholas. The church, entirely frescoed, presents six overlapping phases on the walls from which it is possible to gather information about the style and the different periods in which the frescoes were made. At the foot of the east wall is a depiction of Our Lady of Itri. A small Baroque altar, of the 17th century, holds the statues of Mary, of an unknown saint, probably St. Irene, and of St. Marina. At its left is a niche that was intended as prosthesis, the altar of the Orthodox ...

The Church of Madonna degli Angeli was built in 1902. The edifice, located in the countryside between San Cassiano and Nociglia, was erected on the grounds of a small, eleventh-century church. ...

The church presents a mono-apex façade, framed between two pilasters, following the Neoclassical style. On the portal is an ovoid-shaped niche in which the image of St. Stephen kneeling is painted, with his white tunic and a cross-signed diaconal, on a Palestinian landscape background. Standing arrear is the square bell tower of 1892, on top of which is a statue of the saint. The most notable surviving element of the medieval chapel is the central part of the façade; it was saved because, in subsequent reconstructions and renovations, it had been first used as posterior wall then as a dividing wall between the space behind the altar and the room for the sacristy in the current building. The interior, with a single nave, contains a wooden statue of St. Stephen ...

The façade is framed between two bell towers and extends into two articulate arrays of pilasters. Placed on the architrave of the front door is the coat of arms of Taurisano: a bull in the hills. The interior, with a Latin cross outline and a single nave, has a ribbed vault entirely frescoed with festoons and arabesques. The nave and transept are embellished by altars dedicated to Saint Lucia, St. Anthony of Padua, to the Souls in Purgatory, St. Vito, the Mercy, the Holy Family, St. Stephen the protomartyr and to Our Lady of the Rosary. These were built between 1838 and 1840, except for the altars of St. Anthony of Padua, erected in 1815, and of Our Lady of the Rosary in 1885. Almost all of the frescoes came from the ancient parish and date back to the seventeenth century and the ...

The façade of the church is characterized by a portal framed between two columns surmounted by capitals, which support two squatting animals, a lion and a bull, from which are grafted cusps creating a kind of portico. The portal consists of three carved concentric bands, interlacing the geometric and plant motifs, which enclose the architrave where the Annunciation is represented: the scene is framed between two columns where two rampant birds (peacocks), archangel Gabriele (left) and the figure of the Virgin seated on a throne (right) are juxtaposed; the angelic salutation is engraved in Greek between the figures. At the center, the rose window has three carved concentric crowns. The inner band is made with intertwining plants, among which you can see small figures of ...

The complex of Santa Maria di Leuca of Belvedere, also known locally as Leuca Piccola, is an articulate religious structure built in the site of a preexisting church in 1685 by Baron Don Annibale Capece.   The existing church is equipped with an impressive pronaos, consisting of a monumental body with large arches that leads directly into the small church, with a sacristy at the back.   The interior is decorated with seventeenth-eighteenth century frescoes depicting Saint Lazarus, Saint Lucia, St. Horace, Santa Barbara, Santa Marina, St. Francis of Paola, St. Paschal Baylon, San Gennaro and San Leonardo.  On the vault, the four Evangelists (St. Matthew, St. Luke, St. Mark and St. John) are painted, linked by the initials JHS (Jesus Saviour of the World).   Through ...

Outside the town of Giuliano, it is possible to visit the Romanesque Chiesa di San Pietro. The structure has a rectangular plan with a single nave and semicircular apse. It was built with masonry blocks in double vestment using also some reusable blocks from funeral buildings of the Roman period from the ancient site of Vereto, including a precious Doric frieze with a triglyph and two metopes with ox skulls. Inside, there are traces of several layers of plaster painted with figures of Byzantine saints, naval graffiti, and an inscription in Greek, evidence of the passage of pilgrims who perhaps would stop here to rest before heading to Santa Maria di Leuca. Behind the apse are many medieval graves and a well, probably used for Byzantine baptismal.   ...

On the southern outskirts of the city center is a crypt named, basing on the only surviving frescoes, the Cristo Pantocreatore. The crypt, dates back to the ninth century, appears isolated in a private garden protected by massive stone walls. Through a staircase dug into the rock, descending by about 3 m to access a second garden, also closed, which presents a series of mangers at the sides, a niche dug into the rock and on one side an opening corresponding to a door flanked by two windows. The entrance leads to the crypt, supported by two pillars (one recently built), from where the apse can be recognized, in deep plane, adorned with a simple altar in stone, typical of the Greek-Byzantine rite. Placed on the altar is the only remaining fresco depicting the Cristo Pantocreatore, perhaps ...

The mother church of Giuliano, dedicated to San Giovanni Crisostomo, was built in the sixteenth century on a preexisting building. The numerous restorations and renovations that it had been put through over the centuries have led to its current appearance: a façade in neoclassic style with pilasters and central door surmounted by an epigraph with a dedication, all results of work carried out at the end of nineteenth century. The interior, with three naves, is rich in operas created in different periods. Some frescoes of 1564 and a bas-relief in Leccese stone of 1612 depicting "the Mercy" are remains of the oldest phase of the church. The side chapels are home to Baroque altars topped with some paintings of great artistic value. The stucco ...

In an area of San Dana is the crypt of St. Apollonia, dating back to the sixth-ninth century. Saint Apollonia is represented in a fresco on a side wall, holding the palm of martyrdom and a white lily, surrounded by clouds and angels. The crypt has a single compartment of an irregular quadrilateral shape, entirely dug into the rock. Inside is a little cell wherein a seat was retrieved. This element has made speculations regarding the premature dating of the crypt, linked to the presence of some anchorite/recluse; others, instead, speculate that the construction of the crypt occurred in the sixth century, in connection to the presence of Italian-Greek monks.   There are some frescoes, dating from the XI and XVIII century, of which decipherable are, aside from St. Apollonia, the Mary ...

The chapel, dedicated to Santa Barbara, was built in the thirteenth and fourteenth century, inside a feminine convention complex of Clarisse and Benedictine, of which ruins in the vicinity are used for agricultural purposes. The facade has an entrance door with a monolithic architrave surmounted by a lunette, probably once painted. Above the lunette was a rose window, now occluded by blocks of tuff. The chapel has a unique rectangular interior plan with a semicircular apse. The latter appears barred by tuff blocks, from the destruction of the apse, facing east. Along the north wall is a door that connected the church with the adjacent monastic area.  Traces of preserved frescoes are really rare: on the northern wall are traces of a Deesis: Mary, Christ and St. John the Baptist, ...

The small church of Santo Stefano, built near the settlement of Macurano, was built in 1585 and has a belfry on the facade and a fresco of St. Stephen on the back wall, with some votive inscriptions on the visible sides under the layer of actual plaster. ...

Don Tonino Bello died in Molfetta in 1993. He was buried in his home town of Alessano, in the municipal cemetery. The tomb is a destination of pilgrims from various parts of Italy and they often leave a memory of their passage. Asmall wall with a symbolic door was built around the tomb, symbolically oriented to the east, next to which is an inscription of the phrase: "Rise, builders of Peace!", reminiscent of the greeting used by Don Tonino to address the National Conference of Pax Christi. Still around the tomb, stands an olive tree, a symbol of peace, on whose branches the pilgrims have hung rosaries, Franciscan Tau, miraculous medals, and more, as a sign of devotion, or to ask for intercession. ...

The majestic facade of the church of San Salvatore, overlooking Piazza Don Tonino Bello, has three entrances: on the middle one, bigger in size, is a plaque and the coat of arms of Alessano. The interior is in a Latin cross form divided by pillars into three naves and has paintings of excellent workmanship such as "Saint Tryphon in glory" by Oronzo Letizia, and a painting attributed to Caravaggio school by Paolo Finoglio "Archangel Raphael and Tobias." The wooden pulpit of 1879 is valuable, by Giuseppe De Cupertinis. In the right wing is the altar of St. Tryphon, the patron saint of the city. ...

The crypt, which recently underwent a restoration, was built by Italian-Greek monks in the ninth century, in a farm-monastery complex, dependent from the Abbey of Santa Maria de Amito. Entering the hypogeum through two staircases that lead to a space dug in the rock and of modest height, punctuated by the presence of disordered brick pillars and columns of varying shape, mostly taken from the natural rocky bank, other from recent renovations. The structure is articulated around a central square space, visible from outside through standing within the belfry. The central space is occupied by a presbytery with octagonal columns and balustrade, inside of which is an eighteenth-century altar with a Byzantine Mary in the center. Along the perimeter walls are visible traces of occluded altars, ...

The small sixteenth-century church dedicated to the Santa Croce is located on the outskirts of Tricase, in the territory of Lucugnano.   The façade has simple lines and ends with a slightly projecting cornice, topped by two half tympanums with a central pillar of tuff surmounted by a cross. The corners of the pediment are characterized by two pinnacles. The interior has a nave with a barrel vault with lunettes. Some windows illuminate the surroundings. On the sole altar, made of Leccese stone, there is an interesting painting of the Pieta. The altar consists of three simple steps: on the undersides of the refectory table are carved angels that serve as its support and in the center is a roundel with the Virgin. In connection to the access to the sacristy, on the architrave ...

The church of Madonna Addolorata, on the outskirts of the hamlet of Lucugnano, presents a simple façade characterized by two empty niches flanking the entrance portal. The facade ends with a small mixed-linear crown and two pinnacles at each end. The four-sided interior, houses a unique marble altar, consisting of an architectural element in Leccese stone surmounted by an altarpiece depicting  Our Lady of Sorrows or the Seven Sorrows, commissioned by Anna Carignani, wife of the Marquis of Botrugno, Saverio Castriota.   In the anterior of the altar, under the refectory, is the statue of the dead Christ, which is carried in procession on Good Friday along with Our Lady of Sorrows kept in a niche of the presbytery. On the right wall is the ...

The church of Santa Maria delle Grazie is located in the small town of Lucugnano, between Palazzo Comi and the baronial castle. The inscription on the façade attests the existence of the church as early as 1725. The facade, recently repainted in a rosy shade, is bordered by two pilasters topped by four pinnacles with a central pediment in mixtilinear frame with four scrolls. None of these elements, however, allows you to define the exact events that have characterized its construction history. The interior has a nave divided into two bays with a rectangular apse. The cover is formed by twice the intersection of sharp edges and once of a barrel with lunettes. The main altar is made of Leccese stone, carved with floral motifs, angels and cherubs, dedicated to Our Lady of Grace, ...

The crypt of the Madonna del Passo, of Basilian origin, is located near the municipal cemetery of Specchia. The structure, of a square shape, has a nave with two side altars and a main central altar, surmounted by a canopy bordered by columns, which contains a central fresco of Mary and Child. On the walls of the hypogeum are traces of ancient frescoes.   In front of the crypt, is a shelter for travelers who repose under the covered passages and benefited from a nearby cistern.   On the exterior of church-crypt, in 1851, a Calvary was built. ...

The structure, with east / west orientation, has a longitudinal plan divided into three naves and is characterized by a series of three arches supported by three columns of which the highest is the central one. The façade is adorned with a two-mullioned window divided by a slender column with a truncated pyramid capital on which a lobed cross is carved, typical of the Eastern iconography, above the portal entrance in a slightly ogival arch.   The apse outside, typically Byzantine, is in a polygonal shape, while the one inside is in circular form and is characterized by a two-mullioned window with arches of unequal radius. On the southern wall, one of the slabs of stone carved into a cruciform window is preserved. Inside is a large stone statue of St. Euphemia. The altar was ...