A baroque façade over a rock church: at hardly any other building can Matera’s way of building be read so clearly in cross-section.
What you see from outside
The church stands on the square of the same name in the upper town. Its richly articulated façade dates from the eighteenth century: pilasters, niches with figures, a lively composition that dominates the square. Nothing about it hints at what lies beneath.
What lies beneath
Under the building is an older rock church dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. It was later built over – a pattern found again and again in Matera: the rock stays, what is visible is renewed. If you have seen the city’s rock churches, here you understand how they turned into ordinary town churches over the centuries – not by demolition but by being built over.
Inside
The interior is baroque, with altars along the side walls and paintings from various centuries. The contrast between the bright, articulated room and the dark cave beneath it is the real reason to visit.
Setting
Piazza San Francesco lies on the axis between Piazza Vittorio Veneto and Piazza del Sedile – on the route almost everyone walks anyway.
Read on
- Churches in Matera – the overview
- The old town of Matera – the upper town around it
- Rock churches in and around Matera – what lies beneath such buildings
