Gallipoli Cathedral, Gallipoli, Italy

The Gallipoli Cathedral, formally the Co-Cathedral Basilica of Saint Agatha the Virgin, was built in 1629-1696. The church is a minor basilica and the co-cathedral of the Diocese of Nardò-Gallipoli.

The Baroque facade of the cathedral was designed by Giuseppe Zimbalo, Francesco Bischetini, and Scipione Lachibari. It is constructed out of carparo stone, sourced from Southern Italy. The church was built with a cruciform floorpan in the shape of a Latin cross.

The interior of the church is a mixture of the Byzantine and Renaissance styles. The nave is flanked by columns of grey marble, which support an arcade. The interior is ornamented by paintings by Giovanni Andrea Coppola, a painter native to Gallipoli. Nicolò Malinconico painted the frescoes on the walls and in the cupola, which depicts the martyrdom of Saint Agatha.

The cathedral's altar is made of a reused Ancient Roman marble stele. There is an Ancient Greek inscription on the stele.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Marina G (5 months ago)
Unmissable.

Carita McCullagh (13 months ago)
This was my favourite church in all of Apulia and certainly the best thing in Gallipoli. An added bonus was the wedding taking place which was colourful and very interesting

Dejan Braki (13 months ago)
The Sant'Agata Basilica is located in the heart of Gallipoli old town which is on a small island. It is the largest building there packed in tiny streets around, so it's difficult to capture the whole beautiful Baroque facade. The interiors are stunning - pretty dark as a result of lacking sunlight with similarly dark huge paintings on its walls. Terrific marble art work as well. Free entry

David Jenkins (3 years ago)
Worth coming here just for this.

Isaac Simpson (5 years ago)
Beautiful cathedral with fascinating history. There are giant paintings on all the walls and the main one is very gruesome, depicting the torture of santa Agatha.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright stahli36

Historic Site of the week

Celje Castle

Celje Castle was once the largest fortification on Slovenian territory. The first fortified building on the site (a Romanesque palace) was built in the first half of the 13th century by the Counts of Heunburg from Carinthia on the stony outcrop on the western side of the ridge where the castle stands. It had five sides, or four plus the southern side, which was a natural defence. The first written records of the castle date back to between 1125 and 1137; it was probably built by Count Gunter. In the western section of the castle, there was a building with several floors. Remains of the walls of this palatium have survived. In the eastern section, there was an enclosed courtyard with large water reservoirs. The eastern wall, which protects the castle from its most exposed side, was around three metres thicker than the rest of the curtain wall. The wall was topped with a parapet and protected walkway.

Gallipoli Cathedral

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Celje Castle