Basilica Concattedrale di Sant'Agata

Gallipoli's Co-Cathedral of Sant'Agata stands at the centre of the island's old town. Built between 1629 and 1696, it is a major work of local Baroque architecture, with a carparo-stone façade and a richly decorated interior of altarpieces and sculpture. Pope Pius XII elevated it to a minor basilica in 1946.

Why it matters

The church is dedicated to Sant'Agata, patroness of Gallipoli, and preserves the city's religious history in a distinctive Baroque setting. Its façade and interior bring together the work of local builders and painters, including Giovanni Andrea Coppola and Nicola Malinconico. Since the dioceses of Gallipoli and Nardò were united in 1986, the church has shared the cathedral seat as co-cathedral.

What to notice

The carparo façade is arranged in two levels, with statues of saints and patrons around the portal and upper order. Inside, twelve Doric columns divide the Latin-cross plan into three aisles. Painted metopes along the cornice depict episodes from the life of Sant'Agata. Coppola's altarpieces include the Souls of Purgatory and the Martyrdom of Sant'Agata, while Malinconico painted the Expulsion of the Money Changers on the counter-façade and works for the transept. The high altar of polychrome marble is attributed to Cosimo Fanzago.

Context and history

The co-cathedral was built on the site of an older church dedicated to San Giovanni Crisostomo. Bishop Consalvo De Rueda began construction in 1629 on a design associated with Giovan Bernardino Genuino; the building was completed in 1696 under Bishop Antonio Perez. The lower façade is credited to Scipione Lachibari and Francesco Bischetimi, with decoration probably designed by Genuino. In 1946 the church received the title of papal minor basilica, and in 1986 it became co-cathedral of the united diocese of Nardò-Gallipoli.