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The story translated into Italian Sign Language by an interpreter.
Chiesa Rupestre Santi Stefani
Hypogea and crypts Poggiardo, Vaste
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The crypt of Santi Stefani is located in the heart of the archaeological park of Vaste, an ancient Messapian city: this testifies to the continuity of life at the site from the ancient world to the Middle Ages.
Entirely carved into the rock, it features three naves divided by pillars and three apses that show a slight asymmetry (evidence that the church grew over time, adapting to the needs of the community that frequented it).
Recent studies suggest that the crypt was connected to a small Greek monastic settlement dependent on Otranto. The Byzantine crypt owes its name to the depiction of the first protomartyr of the Christian Church, Saint Stephen, represented three times on the walls rich in frescoes dating from different periods, from the 10th to the 14th century.
In the left apse, the Fathers of the Eastern Church are depicted: Saint Basil the Great, Saint Nicholas of Myra, Saint John Chrysostom.
In the central apse, a woman dressed in the sun with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars is depicted, telling an episode from the Book of Revelation of John. This painting represents the persecuted Church, but protected.
In the right apse, Saint Catherine of Alexandria and Saint Anthony the Abbot are depicted, representing the bridge between Eastern and Western tradition.
Some stylistic details, such as linear shading and the use of indigo, point to the hand of itinerant Balkan painters who passed through Puglia, bringing iconographic models common to Macedonia, Thessaly, and the Peloponnese.
The Church has not always been valued as it deserves and over the centuries has hosted worshippers, but it has also been used for drying tobacco and as a stable.
An ancient legend tells that a Catholic priest had turned it into a stable for his donkey, which probably did not expect to receive such consideration from its owner, who allowed it to sleep and eat in the company of the Saints. The donkey, accustomed to living among sacred images, is said to have become particularly docile, almost "respectful" of the place, so much so that it was remembered as "l'asinu ti li Santi."
The crypt was rediscovered in the 1960s during agricultural work. Subsequent restorations revealed frescoes that, once cleaned, showed a surprising brilliance, especially in the blues and reds.
Entirely carved into the rock, it features three naves divided by pillars and three apses that show a slight asymmetry (evidence that the church grew over time, adapting to the needs of the community that frequented it).
Recent studies suggest that the crypt was connected to a small Greek monastic settlement dependent on Otranto. The Byzantine crypt owes its name to the depiction of the first protomartyr of the Christian Church, Saint Stephen, represented three times on the walls rich in frescoes dating from different periods, from the 10th to the 14th century.
In the left apse, the Fathers of the Eastern Church are depicted: Saint Basil the Great, Saint Nicholas of Myra, Saint John Chrysostom.
In the central apse, a woman dressed in the sun with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars is depicted, telling an episode from the Book of Revelation of John. This painting represents the persecuted Church, but protected.
In the right apse, Saint Catherine of Alexandria and Saint Anthony the Abbot are depicted, representing the bridge between Eastern and Western tradition.
Some stylistic details, such as linear shading and the use of indigo, point to the hand of itinerant Balkan painters who passed through Puglia, bringing iconographic models common to Macedonia, Thessaly, and the Peloponnese.
The Church has not always been valued as it deserves and over the centuries has hosted worshippers, but it has also been used for drying tobacco and as a stable.
An ancient legend tells that a Catholic priest had turned it into a stable for his donkey, which probably did not expect to receive such consideration from its owner, who allowed it to sleep and eat in the company of the Saints. The donkey, accustomed to living among sacred images, is said to have become particularly docile, almost "respectful" of the place, so much so that it was remembered as "l'asinu ti li Santi."
The crypt was rediscovered in the 1960s during agricultural work. Subsequent restorations revealed frescoes that, once cleaned, showed a surprising brilliance, especially in the blues and reds.