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LA PITTURA TARDOGOTICA NEL SALENTO

LATE GOTHIC PAINTINGS IN SALENTO

By: Redazione CartApulia

This itinerary leads us to the discovery of the hidden treasures of Late Gothic Painting in Salento, which spread between the fourteenth century and the middle of the fifteenth century in Terra d'Otranto. Numerous religious buildings in fact kept cycles of frescoes and paintings, now almost completely lost. North of Lecce we can find the fresco of the Annunciation in the Abbey of S. Maria di Cerrate, a church linked to the Italian-Greek culture. Proceeding towards Lecce we reach the Church of Saints Nicolò and Cataldo. The polyptych by Lorenzo Veneziano, who arrived in southern Italy from Venice, stands out among the works of this period. Originally placed in the Benedictine Monastery of San Giovanni Evangelista, it was moved in the 19th century to the Sigismondo Castromediano Museum. Examples of mural painting in noble residences, such as in the Chapel of the Magdalene of the Castle of Copertino, shows that in the past art was an important instrument for the building of political power. The Basilica of Saint Catherine in Galatina, founded by Raimondo Orsini del Balzo and Mary of 'Enghien, is the only example of a church in Apulia with such an extensive cycle of frescoes. Also worth mentioning is the small Saint Stephen's church in Soleto, commissioned by the same people. Other evidence of late Gothic mastership can be found in Saint Stephen's church in Soleto, in the Sanctuary of Lizza in Alezio and in Saint Nicholas Church or Santa Maria de Itri.