Tag: baroque architecture

Postcard from Lecce, Italy: Frolicking putti, Solomonic columns and saintly relics

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she-wolf on facade of chiesa di sant'irene in lecce

She-Wolf and Oak Tree, Symbols of Lecce, on the Façade of the Church of Saint Irene

Baroque churches of Lecce are filled with putti frolicking amidst birds and pomegranates, twisting Solomonic columns covered with intricate lacelike carvings, images of saints and some of their bones.

Church of Saint Irene, Chiesa de Sant’Irene
Bell tower adjacent to Cathedral
Church of Saint Matthew, Chiesa di San Matteo
Altar to Saint Anthony
Piazza del Duomo, Cathedral on left
The patron of Lecce, Saint Orontius, atop the Cathedral
Baroque well in the cloisters of the Seminary Palace
reliquaries
keys to city presented to reliquary of Saint Bernardino Realino in Chiesa del Gesu
Saint Irene
Saint Anthony
statue and reqliquary of Saint Bernardino Realino in Chiesa del Gesu
Saint Orontius in Diocesan Museum
Altar dedicated to Saint Anthony
Saint Lucy

 

Postcard from Lecce, Italy: Baroque flamboyance found up, down, all around

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lecce dog on balcony

Ambling around the narrow streets in Lecce is the major activity and always rewarding. The figurative brackets supporting balconies are particularly amusing for boulevardiers.

Mosaic flooring at Palazzo Pio, where we stayed in Lecce
Mosaic flooring at Palazzo Pio, where we stayed in Lecce
Mosaic flooring at Palazzo Pio, where we stayed in Lecce
Mosaic flooring at Palazzo Pio, where we stayed in Lecce

The mosaic flooring is found inside and outside the apartment in Palazzo Pio, where we stayed.

 

Postcard from Monopoli, Italy: Almost had the place to ourselves

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monopoli fishing boats

An ancient fortified port in Puglia at the top of the heel of Italy’s boot, Monopoli has a reputation for being less touristy than many of the picturesque towns in the region. We hopped a train there from Lecce in mid-November, way past high season, and almost had the place to ourselves. Even the locals were sparse. Which meant the old town center was perfect for us to wander freely among its plazas and narrow streets.

The custodien closing the heavy wooden doors of the Baroque cathedral at noon kindly allowed us to do a whiplash tour just as the church bell was ringing its 12 dongs. The basilica dedicated to Madonna della Madia was constructed in the mid-1700s on the site of an earlier church.

Construction of the first church began in 1107 but was halted due to a lack of building materials for the roof. But, lo and behold, a miracle occurred in 1117. A raft formed from enormous beams tied together (a madia) floated into the harbor bearing an Byzantine image of the Virgin Mary. The revered icon is centered above the altar, and a piece of one of the original beams which allowed the completion of the roof is preserved as a holy relic atop a gold pedestal.

Charles V Castle
complimentary dessert we did not know we needed at La Locanda dei Mercanti.
Basilica of Santa Maria della Madia
La Locanda dei Mercanti
Basilica of Santa Maria della Madia
Basilica of Santa Maria della Madia
Reliquary in the Basilica of Santa Maria della Madia
La Locanda dei Mercanti
Basilica of Santa Maria della Madia
La Locanda dei Mercanti
Basilica of Santa Maria della Madia
Relic of the raft that miraculously floated a Byzantine-style image of the Madonna to Monopoli early in the 12th century.
Basilica of Santa Maria della Madia

As someone who devoted part of her youth to buying, selling, trading and mortgaging real estate during marathon Monopoly matches, how could I not be drawn to a city bearing the name of the game.

Before hopping the train back to Lecce, the next post will take you to one more spot in Monopoli.