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The story translated into Italian Sign Language by an interpreter.
Cripta della Madonna del Gonfalone
Tricase
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The Crypt of the Madonna del Gonfalone is an underground rock church located in the Sant’Eufemia district, within the municipality of Tricase (Lecce). It represents one of the most significant examples of rock architecture in Salento.
The cavity was excavated in the tuff bed between the 9th and 11th centuries, serving for centuries as a safe refuge and an important place of worship. The settlement originated as a basilian laura, that is, a small rock monastery founded by basilian monks to keep the Christian faith alive during religious persecutions. In later times, it became a grancia (farm-convent) dependent on the Abbey of Santa Maria del Mito, as documented by an archival source from 1615.
The structure is organized around a square central room, recognizable from the outside thanks to the presence of a bell tower. The external area is paved with chianche made of Lecce stone, created to protect the crypt and accommodate the faithful. Ten skylights are also visible, originally opened to ensure light and ventilation to the underground spaces.
Access to the crypt is via two staircases leading to the lower level. One of them leads directly into the central room, in front of the baroque altar with the fresco of the Virgin with Child, located in a presbytery characterized by octagonal columns and a balustrade with a barrel-vaulted ceiling. The underground spaces, modified several times over the centuries, are supported by nineteen columns of various shapes (octagonal, square, and circular), some monolithic and others made of multiple blocks of local stone.
Along the perimeter walls, traces of altars, filled openings, and arches can be recognized, along with the remains of surviving frescoes. Near the entrance, there is a fresco depicting the Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary and Saint John. Inside, the figures of Saint Mary Magdalene, Saint Barbara, the face of a Franciscan saint, and the valuable fresco of the Dormitio Virginis, the dormition of Mary, are also visible.
The removal of the lime, carried out by the Superintendency for Artistic and Historical Heritage of Lecce, has uncovered further pictorial fragments depicting the martyrdom of Saint Stephen, Saint Leonard, and Saint Francis of Paola.
Recently, an altar has been built outside where, during the summer months, the Holy Mass is celebrated with the participation of numerous devotees.
The tradition of the cult of the Madonna del Gonfalone is still very strong in Tricase: on August 22, religious and civil celebrations are held in her honor.
The cavity was excavated in the tuff bed between the 9th and 11th centuries, serving for centuries as a safe refuge and an important place of worship. The settlement originated as a basilian laura, that is, a small rock monastery founded by basilian monks to keep the Christian faith alive during religious persecutions. In later times, it became a grancia (farm-convent) dependent on the Abbey of Santa Maria del Mito, as documented by an archival source from 1615.
The structure is organized around a square central room, recognizable from the outside thanks to the presence of a bell tower. The external area is paved with chianche made of Lecce stone, created to protect the crypt and accommodate the faithful. Ten skylights are also visible, originally opened to ensure light and ventilation to the underground spaces.
Access to the crypt is via two staircases leading to the lower level. One of them leads directly into the central room, in front of the baroque altar with the fresco of the Virgin with Child, located in a presbytery characterized by octagonal columns and a balustrade with a barrel-vaulted ceiling. The underground spaces, modified several times over the centuries, are supported by nineteen columns of various shapes (octagonal, square, and circular), some monolithic and others made of multiple blocks of local stone.
Along the perimeter walls, traces of altars, filled openings, and arches can be recognized, along with the remains of surviving frescoes. Near the entrance, there is a fresco depicting the Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary and Saint John. Inside, the figures of Saint Mary Magdalene, Saint Barbara, the face of a Franciscan saint, and the valuable fresco of the Dormitio Virginis, the dormition of Mary, are also visible.
The removal of the lime, carried out by the Superintendency for Artistic and Historical Heritage of Lecce, has uncovered further pictorial fragments depicting the martyrdom of Saint Stephen, Saint Leonard, and Saint Francis of Paola.
Recently, an altar has been built outside where, during the summer months, the Holy Mass is celebrated with the participation of numerous devotees.
The tradition of the cult of the Madonna del Gonfalone is still very strong in Tricase: on August 22, religious and civil celebrations are held in her honor.