Chiesa di Sant'Antonio

Sant'Antonio di Padova in Nardò occupies a site associated with the medieval Jewish quarter and its former synagogue. The Franciscan church combines an eighteenth-century facade with a coffered wooden ceiling and the Renaissance Acquaviva mausoleum.

Why it matters

The complex brings together Jewish memory, Franciscan settlement and ducal patronage. Its history includes the persecution and departure of Nardò's Jewish community in 1496, followed by the transfer of the synagogue site to the Franciscan Observants.

What to notice

The single nave is covered by a coffered wooden ceiling. The Mausoleo degli Acquaviva is the principal sculptural monument, associated with the ducal family's commemoration. Its authorship remains uncertain.

Context and history

The church developed from the late fifteenth century and was repeatedly altered. Following the suppression of the convent in 1866, the complex acquired civic uses. Later restoration preserved the church, while the former convent became associated with Nardò's Museum of Prehistory.