Ex Convento dei Francescani Neri

The former Convent of the Black Franciscans in Specchia preserves a sixteenth-century church, the frescoed Chapel of Santa Caterina and a rock-cut crypt.

Why it matters

The complex brings together Franciscan history, Renaissance painting and a crypt associated with the older Byzantine religious landscape of the Salento. Inscriptions and dated frescoes make it an unusually well-documented part of Specchia's history.

What to notice

The Chapel of Santa Caterina, built and frescoed in 1532, includes scenes from the saint's life and images of Cosmas and Damian and Saint Agatha. Beneath it, a rock-cut crypt is supported by thirty-six small columns in four rows and retains traces of wall painting.

Context and history

The convent was built in the early sixteenth century and hosted a chapter of the Black Franciscans in 1531, an event recorded by an inscription. The church was renovated in the eighteenth century. After the suppression of religious orders, the complex served as a girls' school and an orphanage before closing in 1980.