Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi

The Church of San Francesco d'Assisi in Monopoli is an eighteenth-century Baroque church beside the former Franciscan convent, now the town hall.

Why it matters

The church preserves the long Franciscan presence in Monopoli and stands beside a convent later adapted for civic government. The two buildings reflect the changing relationship between religious and municipal life in the historic centre.

What to notice

The church has a single nave with side chapels and a dome over the crossing. Stuccoes by Carlo Cassino and the Baroque interior contrast with the small surviving fragment of the earlier medieval facade. The former convent retains its courtyard and civic rooms.

Context and history

A Franciscan presence is documented in the late medieval period. The convent was expanded from the sixteenth century and later rebuilt. Architect Michele Colangiuli worked on the present church from 1742, with completion around 1749. The former convent became the town hall in the nineteenth century.