Basilica paleocristiana di San Leucio e Antiquarium

Southeast of Canosa, the basilica of San Leucio occupies the site of a Hellenistic temple dedicated to Minerva-Athena. The late-fifth-century Christian building, its sculptural remains and the Antiquarium together preserve successive layers of the Ofanto valley’s history.

Why it matters

The hill of San Leucio preserves an unusual sequence of religious buildings. Earlier cult structures preceded a Hellenistic temple dedicated to Minerva-Athena; in the late fifth century AD, a centrally planned Christian basilica was built on the temple podium. First dedicated to Saints Cosmas and Damian, it was rededicated to San Leucio in the Lombard period. The basilica is an important early Christian monument in Puglia.

What to notice

The basilica’s plan changed over time. Its first phase had a double outer wall and four semicircular apses; after collapses around the end of the seventh century, a more compact cross-in-square plan was built on four piers. Marble columns with Ionic capitals and Byzantine pulvins remain among the open-air ruins. In the western exedra, a peacock mosaic forms part of the church’s geometric floor decoration. Sculptural fragments from the earlier temple include a capital with a female figure. The Antiquarium at the foot of the hill displays finds from excavations at the site.

Context and history

The temple’s podium and blocks were reused in the construction of the basilica. A chapel on the south wall contains Lombard-period tombs dated to the eighth and ninth centuries, evidence of continued use after the church’s decline. The monument was recorded in 1925 and excavated in the 1930s and 1960s. The Antiquarium opened in July 2008, and archaeological work by Sapienza University of Rome has continued at the site.