Copertino, the city of the two Saints and the great Castle

Dario Melissano 3 March 2025

Copertino is an Italian municipality located in the province of Lecce with a population of just under 23 thousand inhabitants. This municipality, located in western Salento, is famous throughout the world for being the birthplace of San Giuseppe da Copertino.

According to tradition, Copertino was born between 560 and 615 AD from the union of the inhabitants of the surrounding hamlets, following the destruction by the Saracens. The surviving inhabitants gathered in a Byzantine-origin agglomeration, initially called “Cittadella” and later “Conventino”, before evolving into its current name. During the Norman period, in 1088, a Latin rite temple was built, today known as the Mother Church, which was dedicated to the Virgin of the Snows in 1235.

Over the centuries, Copertino became an important commercial hub thanks to the production of oil, transported to nearby ports. In 1498, after the Aragonese conquest, the county of Copertino was granted to the Castriota Granai, who contributed significantly to the development of the city, building the monastery of Santa Chiara and expanding the existing structures. With the end of the Aragonese dynasty, power passed to the Pignatelli and then to the Bourbons, marking an era of transformation and innovation.

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Copertino boasts numerous monuments and places of interest, including:

the Basilica of Santa Maria ad Nives, built in 1088, was elevated to a royal basilica in 1235 and dedicated to the Virgin of the Snows.

The Sanctuary of San Giuseppe da Copertino, inaugurated in 1758, houses the relics of the saint and has an elegant façade with decorative stucco.

Copertino Castle, designed by Evangelista Menga and completed in 1540, is a fortress with a quadrangular plan and four bastions.

The Church of Santa Chiara, founded in 1545, was remodeled in the 18th century and the Church of Santa Maria di Casole, dating back to the 16th century, is an architectural testimony of the medieval era, with frescoes (some dedicated to San Silvestro da Copertino) and a sober façade.

Walking through the historic center you come across courtyards with Renaissance charm, some finely decorated like the courtyard that hosts Arco dei Pappi. A real embroidery carved in Lecce stone.

Copertino arco dei pappicentrostorico credits Russo 0