All Churches in Matera

Italy has many churches, and all of them are beautiful and full of spectacular works of art. The main church of the city is referred as Il Duomo, but you will find churches that are named Basilica, Chiesa or Cattedrale, depending on their size and importance.

Some of the most beautiful churches in Italy are the Basilica di San Marco and the Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venice, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and the Basilica di Santa Croce in Florence, the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome, the Cathedral of the Nativity of Saint Mary and the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Orvieto and the Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore in Verona.

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    Cathedral of the Madonna della Bruna

    The Cathedral of the Madonna della Bruna and Sant’Eustachio is the Cathedral of Matera, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the patron saint of the city, and to the Christian martyr Saint Eustace. The church is located on the highest point of the old city, between the two Sassi, the ancient districts of Matera.   SHORT HISTORY OF THE CATHEDRAL OF THE MADONNA DELLA BRUNA The Matera Cathedral was built between 1230 and 1270, on the area of an ancient Benedictine monastery from the 11th century dedicated to Saint Eustace. Originally, the church was dedicated to Santa Maria di Matera and, later, to Santa Maria della Bruna, also protector of the city. Starting with 1627, the Cathedral of Matera was dedicated both to the Madonna della Bruna and to Saint Eustace. The interior underwent considerable transformations starting with 1627, when the stuccos and decorations were added. In 1719, the ceiling was covered by a false wooden ceiling, decorated in the 19th century with three beautiful paintings by the Calabrian artist Battista Santoro. In 1776, the stuccos were covered with a gold leaf. Since 2003, the church was affected by important restoration works. In 2006, the church received a series of consolidation Read more [...]

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    Church of San Giovanni Battista

    The Church of San Giovanni Battista (Church of St. John the Baptist) is one of the most important churches in Matera, located outside the walls of the historical center of the city, in Piazza San Giovanni.   SHORT HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SAN GIOVANNI BATTISTA A church was documented on this place since 1204, under the title of Santa Maria Nuova. The church belonged to the Benedictine monks, who abandoned it in 1212. Between 1230 and 1233, the Archbishop Andrea built a new church for the Augustinian nuns arrived in Matera from Palestine in 1198, who were hosted for a while in the rupestrian Monastery of Madonna delle Virtù. After 1412, the nuns left the rule of Saint Augustine to take that of Saint Dominic, and the convent changed its title to Santa Maria dell’Annunziata. The church was abandoned in 1480, during the War of Otranto, because its position outside the city walls was too risky for the nuns. In 1610, the main facade of the church was incorporated into the adjacent hospital building, and the current facade is, actually, its right side. The church was reopened as a place of worship in 1695 by the Spanish Archbishop Antonio Read more [...]

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    Church of San Pietro Caveoso

    The Church of San Pietro Caveoso (Chiesa di San Pietro Caveoso), also known as the Church of Saints Peter and Paul (Chiesa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo), is a Baroque church in Matera, located in Sasso Caveoso, the southern ancient district of the city.   SHORT HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SAN PIETRO CAVEOSO The church was built in 1218, but undergone numerous changes and renovations over the centuries, and many of its original features were lost in time. In the 17th century, the church was completely renovated and the current facade was built. At the same time, the bell-tower was raised and the interior of the church was enlarged, with the addition of the side chapels. In 1706, the church was re-consecrated, as indicated on a plaque, and new improvements were made. The cusp was added on the bell-tower, the interior was covered with stucco and decorations, and a wooden false ceiling was placed under the tufa roof.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE CHURCH OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL The Baroque facade presents, in the lower part, three portals with a simple frame. Above each of them, there are semi-circular niches containing statues. Above the central portal, there Read more [...]

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    Church of San Francesco d’Assisi

    The Church of San Francesco d’Assisi is a church located in Piazza San Francesco, in Matera. The church, built in Baroque style, is dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi, after the saint visited Matera in 1218.   SHORT HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SAN FRANCESCO D’ASSISI The current church was built in the first half of the 13th century on the place of a hypogean church dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. The ancient church can still be accessed today through a trap door from the third chapel on the left. The church was enlarged in the 15th century, and many transformations were subsequently made until the 18th century, when it assumed its current state, with the construction of the Baroque facade by the architects Vito Valentino and Tommaso Pennetta.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE CHURCH OF SAN FRANCESCO D’ASSISI The Baroque facade houses three statues in the upper part, with the Virgin Mary in the center, and Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Anthony of Padua on the sides. The interior consists of a single nave, with side chapels and a beautiful painted ceiling. The nave ends with the quadrangular apse, introduced by a pointed arch and covered Read more [...]

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    Church of Santa Maria di Idris

    The Church of Santa Maria di Idris is a rupestrian church in Matera, located near the Church of San Pietro Caveoso, dug in the large limestone rock of Monterrone, dominating from its height the entire Sasso Caveoso.   SHORT HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DI IDRIS The church was built between the 14th and 15th centuries. The facade, made of tuff in the 15th century, was rebuilt following a collapse occurred in the same century.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DI IDRIS The church presents an irregular plan, composed of a part carved into the rock and another one built. Next to the facade, there is a small bell gable. The interior of the church is completely different from the original structure, because of the continuous restorations made over the centuries due to the humidity. Numerous frescoes were detached to be subsequently restored, and today they are conserved at the Superintendence for the Historical and Artistic Heritage of Matera. On the 19th-century altar, built in 1807, there is a Madonna with Child painted in tempera, dating back to the 17th century. On the right, is the Conversion of Sant’Eustachio, the Holy Family and Read more [...]

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    Church of Sant’Agostino

    The Church of Sant’Agostino is a church in Matera dedicated to Saint Augustine. The church and the adjacent convent dominates Sasso Barisano from a rocky spur.   SHORT HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SANT’AGOSTINO The convent was built in 1592 by the monks belonging to the Order of Hermits of Saint Augustine on an ancient hypogeum dedicated to Saint William of Vercelli. The church, dedicated to Santa Maria delle Grazie, was built two years later, in 1594. In 1734, the entire complex was destroyed by an earthquake. Once restored, in 1747, the convent and the church became the General Chapter of the Augustinian Order. The church was consecrated in 1750 by the Archbishop Antonio Antinori. Over time, the convent was suppressed, and it was used as an army shelter, before becoming a prison and later a care home for the elderly. Today, it houses the Superintendence for Architectural and Environmental Heritage.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE CHURCH OF SANT’AGOSTINO The facade of the church is dominated by the central portal, surmounted by a niche with the statue of Sant’Agostino. Above the cornice, there is a niche containing a statue of a bishop and, on both sides, the statues of Read more [...]

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    Church of San Biagio

    The Church of San Biagio is a small Baroque church located on the homonymous street, at the nortwest limit of Sasso Barisano, in Matera. Where the Church of San Biagio stands today, there was once the northern gate of the ancient Sassi, Porta San Biagio. The ancient gate was to the left of the current church. The cult of San Biagio in Matera could be related to the Armenian community gathered around the Benedictine Monastery of Santa Maria de Armenis.   SHORT HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SAN BIAGIO The church was built in 1642 to replace an old church dedicated to the same saint, which was abandoned due to the humidity. The new church was linked to the healing virtues of Saint Blaise, the Armenian saint martyred in 316 AD. The church is closed all year, but it opens on February 3, on the occasion of the Feast of San Biagio.   ARCHITECTURE OF THE CHURCH OF SAN BIAGIO The church is characterized by a very simple facade, which has two dome-shaped bell-gables and a square window in the center, divided by a column. On both sides of the entrance door, there are two niches with the statues of Read more [...]